THE  GIFT  OF 

FLORENCE  V.  V.  DICKEY 

TO  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


THE  DONALD  R.  DICKEY 

LIBRARY 
OF  VERTEBRATE  ZOOLOGY 


c 


THE   STILL-HUNTER 


Aluavs   Alert. 


THE   STILL- HUNTER 


BY 


THEODORE   S.   VAN   DYKE 

Author  of  "Southern  California"  "  Game  Birds  at  Home', 
"  The  Rifle,  Rod,  and  Gun  in  California,"  etc. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 
BY  CARL  RUNGIUS  AND  THE  AUTHOR 


ff  Orft 

THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LTD. 
1904 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1882, 
BY  JOHN  C.  VAN   DYKE. 

COPYRIGHT,  1904, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


First  published  elsewhere.      New  Edition,  with  illustrations, 
published  February,  1904. 


Nartooott 

J.  S.  Cashing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


/ 1 


-V- 


PREFACE    TO    ILLUSTRATED 
EDITION. 

"  THE  STILL-HUNTER  "  is  written  from  experience  ac- 
quired in  hunting  deer  made  extremely  wild  from  contin- 
uous still-hunting  by  Indians,  wolves,  and  a  few  white 
hunters  who  paid  no  more  attention  to  the  law.  At  any 
time  of  the  year  a  deer  was  liable  to  be  surprised.  The 
effect  was  to  develop  to  the  highest  degree  those  senses 
that  are  naturally  acute  enough  to  keep  the  novice  won- 
dering why  he  does  not  see  a  deer  where  tracks  are 
plenty. 

The  very  short  open  season  and  perfect  freedom  from 
annoyance  that  mark  the  present  age,  with  the  increased 
number  of  people  camping  on  their  range  without  harming 
them,  will  make  deer  extremely  tame —  in  many  cases  so 
absurdly  so  that  they  will  not  be  worth  hunting.  For  it 
is  not  the  number  of  the  hunters,  but  the  incessant  nature 
of  the  persecution,  that  most  affects  the  watchfulness  of 
this  game.  To  many  the  caution  taught  in  this  book  will 
therefore  seem  overdrawn.  But  if  deer  continue  worth 
hunting  at  all,  the  greater  care  will  not  only  insure  the 
best  results,  but  bring  the  greatest  pleasure  in  securing 
those  results.  You  can  afford  to  be  careless  only  when 
lack  of  time  forbids  care. 


vi  PREFACE    TO  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION. 

The  fact  that  this  edition  is  illustrated  must  not  mislead 
the  reader  into  ignoring  the  advice  given  in  the  text  about 
taking  his  ideas  of  hunting  from  pictures.  Those  in  this 
edition  are  no  exception  to  the  rule.  Those  by  Mr. 
Rungius  are  from  the  standpoint  occasionally  reached  by 
the  most  finished  skill,  and  so  intensely  satisfactory  after 
long  and  careful  work. 

Those  by  the  author  are  maps  or  diagrams  rather  than 
pictures,  and  are  from  the  standpoint  he  knows  too  well 
the  novice  is  bound  to  occupy.  They  are  an  attempt  to 
give  him  what  he  most  needs  to  know  and  what  perplexes 
him  the  longest,  —  a  vital  conception  of  the  cold  reality 
that  takes  the  place  of  the  bright  rainbow  of  expectation. 
He  wants  to  know,  above  all  else,  why  it  is  he  cannot  even 
see  a  deer.  He  can  understand  why  he  may  miss  one  — 
but  the  idea  of  not  even  seeing  one,  at  any  distance,  even  far 
out  of  shot,  is  something  he  never  dreamed  of. 

Consider  that  about  one  hundred  men  are  annually 
killed  in  the  United  States  by  mistake  for  a  deer,  —  some- 
thing that  happens  in  no  other  country,  and  with  no  other 
game  even  here.  How  could  this  be  if  pictures  of  hunt- 
ing bore  any  resemblance  to  the  reality  ?  Why,  it  simply 
could  not.  If  it  did,  it  could  not  be  a  picture ;  for  it 
would  need  too  much  study  with  a  lot  of  explanation. 
When  the  requirements  of  art  cut  it  down  to  a  mere  pleas- 
ing effect,  such  as  every  true  picture  must  be,  it  is  so 
simple  as  to  be  a  positive  hindrance  to  the  novice  who 
takes  his  ideas  from  it.  It  makes  him  waste  his  time 
looking  for  deer  in  full  outline  in  nice  open  places,  while 
many  a  spot  or  mere  shade,  in  the  very  places  where  he 


PREFACE    TO  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION.  vii 

does  not  look,  slips  away  without  his  suspecting  its  exist- 
ence. 

The  sketches  by  the  author  are  no  exception  to  the 
warning  he  has  given.  In  many  of  them  the  deer  is  still 
several  times  too  large,  small  as  it  is.  The  reason  is  that 
a  deer,  as  generally  seen  on  the  ground  where  you  should 
be  looking  for  him,  would  be  invisible  in  a  picture  the  size 
of  this  page,  even  if  taken  with  the  finest  camera,  selected 
light,  and  time  exposure.  If  standing  beside  the  man 
with  the  rifle,  a  novice  would  seldom  see  the  deer  at  which 
he  was  aiming,  unless  it  were  in  motion.  And  even  the 
expert  will  fail  so  often  that,  when  he  sees  a  comrade  raise 
the  rifle,  he  stands  perfectly  still,  instead  of  craning  his 
neck  or  moving  in  any  way  to  see  it.  He  knows  the 
chances  are  so  many  against  his  seeing  it,  and  the  danger 
of  the  deer's  running  at  the  slightest  motion  are  so  great, 
that  he  patiently  awaits  the  result  of  the  shot  without  try- 
ing to  see  the  game. 

In  order  to  make  the  game  visible  at  all,  I  have  had 
to  leave  off  most  all  the  timber  and  much  of  the  brush. 
The  novice  has  only  to  imagine  it  back  again  to  see  how 
his  troubles  are  increased.  It  is  a  sound  rule  of  art  that 
the  background  must  not  compete  in  interest  with  the 
figures.  But  in  the  picture  you  have  to  consider  with  the 
rifle  on  your  shoulder  the  background  does  compete,  and 
nearly  all  the  time  is  the  victor.  A  picture  must  be  all 
unity  and  simplicity.  But  in  the  gallery  where  Nature 
hangs  her  pictures  of  the  deer  all  is  complexity  and  diver- 
sity, even  on  the  most  open  ground  on  which  you  are 
likely  to  hunt.  The  background  is  the  picture;  man  and 


viii  PREFACE   TO  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION. 

deer  are  mere  needles  in  a  haystack.  If  such  a  picture 
could  be  comprehended  at  a  glance,  the  hunter  would  be 
but  a  vulgar  butcher,  without  the  excuse  of  the  profes- 
sional butcher  at  the  shambles.  Any  representation  of  it 
that  could  be  taken  at  a  glance  would  have  no  instructive 
value,  though  it  might  be  highly  pleasing  as  a  work  of 
art.  The  fact  that  it  is  so  puzzling  is  all  that  makes  still- 
hunting  the  deer  such  a  great  attraction  for  so  many  who 
care  nothing  for  much  larger  game.  And  when  you  have 
so  far  mastered  it  as  to  get  an  occasional  view,  such  as 
Mr.  Rungius  has  given,  you  will  say  it  is  the  deepest  and 
most  enduring  of  all  the  charms  the  land  beyond  the  pave- 
ment has  to  offer. 

T.  S.  VAN  DYKE. 
NOVEMBER,  1903. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.   Introduction 7 

—  II.  To  find  Good  Hunting-ground 16 

III.  Examining  the  Ground,  Signs,  etc 24 

IV.  The  Senses  of  the  Game  and  Hunter 38 

V.  The  Daily  Life  of  Deer  and  Antelope 50 

VI.   Looking  for  Deer  that  are  on  Foot 58 

VII.  Looking  for  Deer  Lying  Down 73 

VIII.  The  First  Sight  of  Game 86 

IX.  The  First  Shot  at  a  Deer 99 

X.   Running  time 113 

XL   Hunting  on  Snow 122 

-  XII.  The  Surest  Way  to  Track  Deer  when  very  Wild 135 

XIII.  Tracking  on  Bare  Ground 145 

XIV.   Still-hunting  on  Open  Ground 156 

-  XV.   Deer  on  Open  Ground 167 

XVI.   A  Day  in  the  Table-lands 176 

XVII.  Another  Kind  of  Open  Ground 192 

XVIII.  The  Still-hunter's  Cardinal  Virtue 204 

XIX.   Hunting  in  the  Open  and  in  Timber  Combined 214 

XX.   Subordinate  Principles 222 

XXL  Two  or  more  Persons  Hunting  in  Company.     Hunt- 
ing on  Horseback 232 

XXII.   Special  Modes  of  Hunting.     The  Cow-bell  and  Tiring 

Down  Deer 242 

XXIII.  Deer  in  Bands.     General  Hints,  etc 248 


CONTENTS. 

XXIV.  To  Manage  a  Deer  when  Hit 258 

XXV.  The  Rifle  on  Game  at  Rest 271 

XXVI.  The  Rifle  on  Moving  Game 282 

XXVII.   The  Rifle  on  Moving  Game  (continued) 297 

XXVIII.   Long-range  Shooting  at  Game 311 

XXIX.  The  Effect  of  Recoil  upon  Shooting 321 

XXX.  The  Killing  Power  of  Bullets.     Explosive,  Expan- 
sive, and  other  Bullets.     Slit  Bullets,   Buckshot, 

etc 329 

XXXI.  The  Hunting-rifle,  and  Flight  of  Balls 344 

XXXII.   The  Sighting  of  Hunting-rifles 351 

XXXIII.  The  Loading,  Care,  and  Management  of  Rifles...  .  367 

XXXIV.  Moccasins,  Buckskin,  etc.     Advice.     Conclusion...  379 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Always  Alert  ......    Frontispiece 

FACING   PAGE 

No  matter  how  carefully  you  may  hunt,  a  deer  often 
keeps  a  little  gulch  handy  into  which  one  jump  makes 
him  safe  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .22 

In  trying  to  catch  deer  at  water,  the  water  is  generally 
the  last  place  you  should  inspect.  They  are  more 
likely  to  be  watching  from  high  ground.  These  deer 
are  several  times  too  large.  See  Preface  to  illustrated 
edition  ........  34 

"  Didn't  see  a  deer  all  day."  Showing  the  power  of  a 
deer's  nose.  Man  is  much  too  large.  This  can 
happen  with  man  half  a  mile  away.  See  Preface  to 
illustrated  edition  ......  40 

"  Has  a  deer  a  sixth  sense  ?"  If  you  hunt  much,  you 
will  ask  yourself  that  question  many  times ;  for  this 
can  happen  with  the  wind  blowing  from  the  deer  to 
you,  and  the  sound  of  your  feet  deadened  by  snow  .  48 

You  cannot  be  afield  too  early.  That  big  buck  is  already 
on  his  way  to  lie  down  for  the  day,  where  you  would 
probably  never  find  him.  Small  as  he  is,  this  deer 
is  still  much  too  large.  See  Preface  to  illustrated 
edition  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .52 

This  man  is  going  too  fast  to  see  well,  so  that  the  deer 
has  his  advantage,  of  being  at  rest  while  the  other 
party  is  moving,  greatly  increased  ...  60 


4  ILL  US  TRA  TIONS, 

FACING  PAGE 

Leaving  an  Empty  Bed     .          .          .          .          .          .76 

Here  is  a  good  chance  for  a  standing  shot  lost  by  going 

through  that  brush  instead  of  around  it    .          .          .        92 
Too  Slow     .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .104 

"  How  did  he  know  I  was  coming  ?  "          .          .          .124 
One  of  the  many  reasons  why  deer  are  hard  to  see  .      140 

The   deer   is   alarmed.       The  first  shot  must  be  a  sure 
one.      Yet  you  must  be  as  steady  as  if  only  trying 
your  rifle  at  a  target    .          .          .          .          .          .158 

Your   difficulties    are    vastly   increased   by  timber.      You 
should  have  been  on  the  ridge.      Now  his  loss  is  cer- 
tain, whereas  you  might  have  had  a  chance  if  on  high 
ground     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .      1 64 

A  situation  that  no  care  can  prevent.      The  deer  will  be 
just  out  of  sight  as  you  are  ready  to  shoot,  and  you 
will  see  him  no  more  to-day  .          .          .          .178 

A  deer   skulking  in  brush.      He  knows  they  cannot  see 
him,  and  when  they  come  too  near,  he  moves  slowly 
and    silently  out  of  the  way,  with  head  down  like    a 
cow.      In   brushy   country   deer  are  quite  certain  to 
play  you  this  trick  —  the  hardest  of  all  to  circumvent. 
It  is  common  to  get  within  a  few  feet  of  them  and 
never  know  it  except  by  their  tracks        .  .  .190 

You  should  keep  your  ears  open  as  well  as  your  eyes. 
This  man    would  not   have    seen    the    deer,    because 
going  to  the  right  ;  but  he  heard  the  faint  cracking  of 
brush  up  the  hill          .  .  .  .  .  .      1 96 

A  fine  bit  of  work  resulting  in  a  good  shot.  This  man 
was  tracking  this  deer  on  the  hillside  where  the  deer 
is,  but  knowing  the  brush  would  make  him  too  diffi- 
cult to  see  from  that  side,  he  left  the  trail  and  crossed 


ILL  US  TRA  TIONS.  5 

FACING    PACK 

over    to    where    he  could    get   a   good   view  of  the 
hillside      ........      206 

Here  is  a  nice  close  shot.  Yet  if  you  don't  hold  ahead 
and  low  down,  you  will  miss.  Now  is  the  proper 
time  to  pull  the  trigger,  just  as  the  deer  starts  on  the 
downward  curve  .  .  .  .  .  .212 

There  are  times  when  speed  of  fire  is  your  only  chance, 

as  when  a  deer  is  surging  through  high  chaparral         .      220 

These  chaps  are  on  the  track  of  this  deer,  and  both 
together  when  they  should  have  separated  and  gone 
along  the  sides  of  the  hill  as  soon  as  they  found  he  had 
gone  down  the  point.  But  it  was  better  walking  on 
the  ridge  ........  234 

Water  gives  you  an  advantage  by  reducing  the  area  to  be 

scanned,  but  it  gives  the  game  precisely  the  same  aid      252 

The  constant  change  in  the  up-and-down  motion  of  a 
deer  is  worse  than  the  forward  speed  or  the  numerous 
twists,  but  even  where  you  are  depending  on  speed  of 
fire,  you  must  keep  cool.  These  deer  are  not  over 
one  hundred  yards  away,  but  they  will  puzzle  the 
best  expert  .  .  .  .  .  .  .260 

Here  is  a  chap  who  threw  away  a  good  standing  shot  by 
squeezing  through  that  brush  to  get  a  rest  on  that  rock. 
Always  shoot  off-hand,  is  a  good  rule  .  .  .278 

Hard  to  Approach  .......      290 

My  new  repeater.  Fifteen  shots,  almost  any  one  of  which 
would  have  got  the  game  had  I  had  but  one  shot. 
Speed  of  fire  is  a  good  servant,  but  a  bad  master  .  308 

A  Good  Shot  .......      364 


THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER     I . 

INTRODUCTION. 

STILL-HUNTING,  the  most  scientific  of  all  things 
pertaining  to  hunting,  has  hitherto  been  almost  con- 
fined to  the  backwoodsman  or  frontiersman,  and  has 
been  little  enjoyed  by  those  born  and  reared  at  any 
distance  from  facilities  for  learning  practically  the 
ways  of  the  wild  woods  and  plains.  Thousands  of 
our  best  shots  with  the  shot-gun  are  men  born  and 
bred  in  the  city.  But  of  the  thousands  who  enjoy 
the  still-hunt  the  majority  are  backwoodsmen.  One 
great  reason  of  this  is  that  the  art  is  one  requiring 
for  proficiency  more  life  in  the  forest  than  the  aver- 
age city  man  can  spend  there.  But  another  great 
reason  has  been  the  almost  utter  lack  of  any  informa- 
tion or  instruction  upon  the  subject.  For  this,  the 
greatest  and  most  important  branch  of  the  whole  art 
of  hunting  has,  I  may  safely  say,  been  totally  neg- 
lected by  the  great  body  of  writers  upon  field-sports. 
Most  attempts  in  that  line  have  been  like  "The  Deer- 
Stalkers"  of  Frank  Forrester — a  short  fancy  sketch, 
not  intended  to  convey  any  instruction.  And  where 
the  subject  has  been  touched  upon  at  all  in  works 


8  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

on  hunting,  the  information  given  has  been  so  ex- 
tremely general  in  its  nature  and  form  of  expression, 
and  so  utterly  lacking  in  qualifications  and  excep- 
tions quite  as  essential  as  the  rules  themselves,  that 
to  a  beginner  in  the  woods  it  is  of  little  more  use 
than  the  maps  in  a  child's  atlas  are  to  a  tourist. 
Consequently  he  who  would  single-handed  and  alone 
outgeneral  the  bounding  beauties  of  the  forest  and 
plain,  and  with  a  single  ball  trip  their  wily  feet,  is 
nearly  always  compelled  to  work  out  his  own  knowl- 
edge of  how  to  do  it.  And  this  he  must  generally 
do,  as  I  had  to  do  it,  by  a  long  series  of  mortifying 
failures. 

I  have  spent  too  many  days  alone  in  the  depths  of 
the  forest  primeval  and  on  the  mountain's  shaggy 
breast  not  to  know  full  well  that  printed  precepts  are 
poor  substitutes  for  Nature's  wild  school  of  object- 
teaching.  Yet  from  that  same  life  I  have  learned 
another  thing  quite  as  true  ;  namely,  that  while  in- 
struction cannot  carry  one  bodily  to  the  desired  goal, 
it  can  nevertheless  clear  the  road  of  hundreds  of 
stumps  and  fallen  logs,  cut  away  a  vast  amount  of 
tangled  brush,  and  bridge  many  a  Serbonian  bog. 

Not  without  hesitation  have  I  undertaken  to  ex- 
plore this  "dark  continent"  of  the  world  of  field- 
sports.  At  this  day  a  writer  upon  almost  any  other 
subject  has  the  roads,  paths,  blaze-marks,  and  charts 
of  a  dozen  or  more  explorers  before  him.  I  have 
nothing  to  follow  ;  the  only  work  upon  deer,  that  of 
Judge  Caton,  thorough  and  fine  as  it  is,  deals  only 
•vith  the  anatomy,  physiology,  and  natural  history  of 
deer;  all  those  habits  which  it  ii,  essential  for  the  still- 
hunter  to  thoroughly  understand  being  as  much  be- 
yond the  scope  of  his  work  as  the  part  he  has  treated 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

of  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  work.  The  same  is  the 
case  with  the  part  upon  rifles  and  shooting ;  nearly 
everything  in  print  on  the  subject  pertaining  only  to 
target-rifles  and  target-shooting.  Besides  this  dearth 
of  pioneers  to  clear  the  road,  the  habits  of  large  game 
generally,  and  of  deer  especially,  vary  so  much  with 
climate,  elevation,  and  character  of  country,  quality, 
distribution,  and  quantity  of  food,  amount  and  nature 
of  the  disturbance  to  which  the  game  may  be  sub- 
jected, and  other  causes,  that  there  can  be  no  man 
who  thoroughly  understands  still-hunting  in  every 
part  of  the  United  States.  Moreover,  the  deer  is  so 
irregular  in  some  of  its  movements,  so  difficult  to 
observe  closely,  and  so  quick  to  change  many  of  its 
habits  after  a  little  persecution  or  change  in  methods 
of  hunting,  that  it  is  not  probable  that  any  one  per- 
son thoroughly  understands  the  animal  even  in  any 
one  State.  And  I  have  heard  the  very  best  and  oldest 
hunters  of  my  acquaintance  say  that  they  were  con- 
tinually learning  something  new  about  deer.  But 
there  is  still  enough  that  is  both  universal  and  cer- 
tain to  carry  the  learner  over  far  the  greater  part  of 
the  difficulties  and  save  him  many  an  aching  limb 
and  sinking  heart. 

To  impart  this  is,  however,  no  easy  task  for  any 
one.  Unfortunately  those  who  best  know  in  practice 
the  rules  of  hunting  are  almost  necessarily  deficient 
in  power  to  lay  out  and  finish  in  the  details  a  treatise 
on  a  subject  so  extensive  and  recondite.  The  "old 
hunter"  to  whom  the  learner  must  now  resort  for  his 
advice  knows  practically  a  great  deal ;  but  between 
what  he  knows  and  what  he  can  or  will  tell  there  is  a 
difference  as  wide  as  it  is  provoking.  Even  if  he  were 
never  so  well  disposed  to  impart  his  knowledge,  it 


10  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

would  require  at  least  fifty  long  and  elaborate  lec- 
tures of  several  hours  each  for  him  to  do  so  in  his 
language.  Moreover,  the  average  "  old  hunter"  or 
Leatherstocking  is  full  of  wrong  theories,  which  he 
either  does  not  follow  in  the  field  or,  if  he  does,  he 
succeeds  in  spite  of  them  by  virtue  of  his  other  quali- 
fications. The  stock  of  nonsensical  theories  held  by 
the  old-time  country  "  old  hunter"  with  the  old  single 
shot-gun  is  nothing  to  the  mass  of  absurdities  that  a 
very  successful  old  Leatherstocking  can  dispense  on 
the  subject  of  deer-hunting,  rifles,  and  rifle-shooting. 
So  that  unless  constantly  by  his  side  in  the  field — a 
thing  to  which  any  good  hunter  will  seriously  object 
— the  beginner  can  learn  little  from  him.  I  have  had 
to  work  out  almost  every  particle  of  my  information 
from  a  mine  of  stubborn  ore.  And  I  flatter  myself 
that  I  can  save  to  those  who  will  take  the  pains  to 
study — not  merely  read — this  work,  at  least  two  thirds 
of  the  labor,  vexation,  and  disappointment  through 
which  I  was  compelled  to  flounder;  though  I  started 
in  with  keen  eyes,  tireless  feet,  unflagging  hope,  and 
years  of  experience  in  all  branches  of  hunting  with 
the  shot-gun,  beginning  even  in  childhood. 

To  be  exhaustive  without  being  exhausting  is  one 
of  the  most  delicate  tasks  ever  set  a  didactic  writer. 
To  avoid  being  tedious  I  have  intentionally  omitted — 

ist.  All  that  part  of  the  natural  history  and  habits 
of  our  game  which  does  not  bear  directly  upon  the 
question  of  how  to  find  and  shoot  it ;  such  as  its 
birth,  nurture,  growth,  and  shedding  of  horns,  all  of 
which  may  be  found  in  other  and  better  books — such 
as  Judge  Caton's. 

2d.  A  large  mass  of  vague  and  unreliable  theories 
held  about  hunting  and  shooting  even  by  successful 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

hunters.  We  are  never  so  wise  as  when  we  know  what 
it  is  that  we  do  not  know.  There  are  many  movements 
of  game  that  it  is  impossible  to  reduce  to  rule,  in 
which  the  animal  seems  governed  only  by  the  caprice 
of  the  passing  moment.  As  there  are  doctors  who 
will  never  admit  ignorance  upon  any  point,  but  will 
explain  to  you  at  once,  like  the  physicians  Cn  the  plays 
of  Moliere,  the  efficient  causes  of  the  most  slippery 
phenomena,  so  there  are  hosts  of  hunters  who  have 
ever  on  their  tongue's  end  an  exact  explanation  of 
every  movement  of  a  deer.  Agreeing  with  Sir  Wil- 
liam Hamilton  that  "  contented  ignorance  is  better 
than  presumptuous  wisdom,"  I  have  omitted  all  such 
dubious  theories. 

3d.  Everything  that  can  be  safely  intrusted  to  the 
beginner's  common-sense ;  though  I  have  been  cau- 
tious about  presuming  too  much  upon  this. 

The  art  of  still-hunting  deer  carries  with  it  nearly 
the  whole  art  of  still-hunting  other  large  American 
game.  As  a  good  and  accomplished  lawyer  has  only 
a  few  special  points  of  practice  to  learn  in  transplant- 
ing himself  from  State  to  State,  so  the  thorough  still- 
hunter  will  go  from  deer  to  antelope,  elk,  or  other 
game,  already  equipped  with  five  sixths  of  the  knowl- 
edge necessary  to  hunt  them.  And  this  very  knowl- 
edge will,  as  it  does  in  the  case  of  the  lawyer,  enable 
him  to  learn  the  rest  in  one  fourth  of  the  time  in 
which  a  beginner  could  do  it.  Consequently  a  large 
portion  of  this  work  applies  to  antelope  also  without 
special  reference. 

It  is  a  common  idea  that  shooting  game  with  a  rifle 
does  not  call  for  a  very  high  degree  of  skill  with  it,  or 
for  very  much  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  shoot- 
ing. That  considerable  game  is  killed  by  very  ordi- 


12  THE   STILL-HUNTER, 

nary  shooting  is  true.  But  it  is  equally  true  that  as 
much  game  is  lost  by  bad  shooting  as  by  bad  hunt- 
ing. And  it  is  quite  as  true  that  bad  shooting  is 
as  much  due  to  downright,  solid  ignorance  of  the 
rifle,  the  principles  of  projectiles,  and  the  use  of  the 
rifle  in  the  field  as  distinguished  from  its  use  at  the 
target,  as  to  nervousness,  excitement,  want  of  prac- 
tice, and  all  other  causes  put  together.  The  extent 
of  this  ignorance,  even  among  very  successful  hunters, 
is  amazing  ;  their  success  being  due  to  their  good 
hunting,  energy,  and  perseverance,  and  in  spite  of 
their  poor  shooting.  I  therefore  deem  a  treatise  on 
the  hunting-rifle  :  and  its  use  in  the  field  an  indispens- 
able part  of  any  work  on  still-hunting.  And  since 
this  information  cannot  be  found  to  any  valuable  ex- 
tent in  any  other  work  on  shooting  that  I  have  seen, 
I  have  treated  the  subject  quite  fully,  omitting  how- 
ever, out  of  regard  for  the  reader's  patience,  much 
that  can  be  trusted  to  his  intelligence  and  much  that 
may  be  found  in  works  on  the  rifle  and  on  target- 
shooting. 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  many  hunters,  and  good 
ones  too,  will  differ  from  many  of  my  views.  Among 
even  the  best  and  most  intelligent  sportsmen  there  is 
much  disagreement  on  even  the  simplest  points.  It 
is  therefore  vain  for  any  one  to  expect  indorsement 
upon  every  point  from  the  man  who  declares  that  a 
gun  is  safest  with  the  hammer  resting  on  the  cap  ; 
who  thinks  a  slow  twist  makes  a  "slow  ball,"  a  quick 
twist  a  "quick  ball,"  a  gain  twist  a  "strong  ball;" 
who  sincerely  believes  that  his  rifle  shoots  on  a  level 
line  for  two  hundred  yards  ;  who  talks  of  putting  a 
ball  in  the  heart  of  a  running  deer  at  three  hundred 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

yards  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  discourses  about 
knocking  a  deer  down  "in  his  tracks"  as  he  would 
knock  down  a  cabbage-head  with  a  club.  It  is  also 
impossible  for  any  writer  upon  field-sports  to  avoid 
occasional  mistakes.  There  are  others,  doubtless,  who 
would  make  less  than  I  do.  But  they  do  not  write. 
And  from  the  length  of  time  the  world  has  waited  for 
such  a  book  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  they  do  not  in- 
tend to  write.  Therefore  take  this  as  the  best  you 
can  get,  and  bear  lightly  on  its  infirmities. 

Some  will  think  I  have  been  too  fond  of  repetition. 
But  there  are  principles  which  cannot  otherwise  be 
understood  in  their  practical  extent.  The  great  trouble 
is  to  make  one  understand  in  the  concrete  what  he 
knows  well  enough  in  the  abstract.  Other  principles 
require  repetition  in  their  different  applications,  re- 
quiring contemplation  under  different  points  of  view. 
Many  will  think  that  I  have  been  too  fond  of  analysis, 
have  drawn  distinctions  too  fine,  and  have  been  too 
lavish  with  refinements  and  caution.  Undoubtedly 
deer  may  be  killed  in  large  numbers  without  heeding 
one  half  the  advice  I  give.  There  are  still  parts  of 
our  country  where  deer  are  yet  so  plenty  and  tame 
that  any  one  who  can  shoot  at  all  can  kill  some. 
Often  when  concentrated  by  deep  snows,  fires,  or 
other  causes,  and  enfeebled  by  starvation,  the  wildest 
of  deer  or  antelope  may  fall  easy  victims  to  any  one  of 
brute  strength  and  brute  heart.  Even  when  deer  are 
scarce,  wild,  and  in  full  strength  the  veriest  block- 
head may  occasionally  stumble  over  one  and  kill  it 
with  a  shot-gun.  And  in  almost  any  place  where  the 
ground  or  brush  does  not  make  too  much  noise  be- 
neath the  feet,  if  there  are  any  deer  at  all,  brute  en- 


14  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

durance  in  getting  over  ground  enough,  assisted  by 
brute  perseverance,  will  bring  success. 

But  from  all  this  we  can  draw  only  one  conclusion; 
namely,  that  the  greater  the  success  one  has  by  care- 
less or  unscientific  methods,  the  better  it  would  be 
and  the  more  ease  and  pleasure  he  would  have  in  it 
by  doing  it  scientifically.  And  to  put  the  beginner 
on  the  very  best  track,  I  have  treated,  throughout 
this  work,  of  deer  very  wild.  This  is  rendered  the 
more  necessary  by  the  fact  that  in  nearly  all  places 
the  deer  of  to-day  is  not  the  deer  of  thirty  years  ago  ; 
in  many  places  not  even  the  deer  of  ten  years  ago. 
Deer  become  more  wary  as  hunters  increase.  They 
change  their  habits  to  suit  new  styles  of  hunting  and 
fire-arms.  And  these  tendencies  have  been  so  trans- 
mitted by  descent  that  the  average  six-months-old 
fawn  of  to-day  is  a  far  more  delicate  article  to  handle 
than  were  most  of  the  mighty  old  bucks  on  which 
the  Leatherstocking  "  old  hunter"  of  thirty  years  ago 
won  his  name  and  fame. 

It  is  quite  common  to  hear  still-hunting  denounced 
as  "pot-hunting"  by  the  advocates  of  driving  deer 
with  hounds.  That  the  market-hunter  is  almost  al- 
ways a  still-hunter  is  unfortunately  true.  It  is  also 
a  sad  truth  that  the  man  who  murders  woodcock  in 
May  for  Delmonico's  epicures  possesses  a  breech- 
loader. But  this  hardly  makes  the  use  of  the  breech- 
loader pot-hunting.  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  a 
still-hunter  on  snow  was  certain  to  secure  the  deer 
that  he  once  took  the  track  of.  All  this  savors  of  sour 
grapes.  No  man  who  ever  had  any  experience  in 
still-hunting  ever  committed  such  stuff  to  paper.  But 
to  correct  at  the  outset  any  misapprehension  I  will 
say  that,  with  whatever  proficiency  in  still-hunting 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

any  mortal  ever  reaches,  with  all  the  advantages  of 
snow,  ground,  wind,  and  sun  in  his  favor,  many  a 
deer  will,  in  the  very  climax  of  triumphant  assur- 
ance, slip  through  his  fingers  like  the  thread  of  a 
beautiful  dream. 


16  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER   II. 

TO    FIND    GOOD    HUNTING-GROUND. 

MUCH  has  been  written  about  the  essential  quali- 
ties of  a  good  deer-hunter,  the  only  effect  of  which  is 
to  deter  from  attempting  it  many  a  man  who  might 
easily  enjoy  still-hunting,  or  "  deer-stalking"  as  our 
English  cousins  call  it.  To  make  a  good  professional 
hunter  who  shall  kill  a  large  number  of  deer  in  a 
season,  and  do  it  on  all  kinds  of  ground  and  in  all 
kinds  of  weather,  does  undoubtedly  require  such 
physical  and  other  qualities  as  are  mentioned  by  Stone- 
henge,  Forrester,  and  others.  But  on  the  other  hand 
any  man  of  sufficient  saroir  faire,  strength,  and  energy 
to  make  a  respectable  bag  of  quail  or  woodcock  in 
any  of  the  Eastern  States,  whether  he  be  bred  in  the 
backwoods  or  in  Fifth  Avenue,  whether  a  knight  of 
the  trigger  or  only  a  carpet-knight,  can  by  study  and 
practice  make  a  fair  amateur  still-hunter  ;  that  is,  one 
who  can  go  where  deer  or  antelope  are  moderately 
plenty  and  kill,  not  great  quantities,  but  enough  for 
good  sport  and  quite  as  much  as  any  man  has  any 
business  to  kill. 

We  will  leave  the  equipment  for  hunting  for  future 
consideration  ;  and,  supposing  you  already  prepared, 
let  us  see  where  we  are  to  find  our  game. 

To  find  ground  where  deer  are  plenty  enough  for 
good  sport  is  still  an  easy  matter  even  at  the  present 
rate  of  destruction.  And  there  need  be  no  fear  that 


TO  FIND    GOOD  HUNTING-GROUND.  17 

they  will  soon  be  too  scarce.  The  days  of  the  mar- 
ket's lofty  prerogative  are  numbered.  The  American 
people  are  fast  awaking  to  the  fact  that  the  true  ques- 
tion before  them  is  not,  Why  should  not  he  who  kills 
game  have  a  right  to  sell  it  ?  not,  Why  should  not  he 
who  cannot  hunt  his  own  game  have  a  right  to  buy 
it  ?  They  are  fast  awaking  to  see  that  a  far  higher 
question  than  either  of  those  imperiously  demands  an 
immediate  answer.  That  question  is,  Shall  we  have 
game  for  those  who  are  able  to  hunt  it  for  themselves, 
who  need  the  health-giving  medicine  of  the  woods  far 
more  than  epicures  need  their  palates  tickled,  or  shall 
we  have  game  for  none  ?  Shall  we  have  game  for  our 
own  people  forever  under  close  restrictions,  or  shall 
our  woods  become  a  cheerless  blank  in  order  that  the 
present  generation  of  epicures  in  New  York  and  Bos- 
ton may  wax  fat  for  a  few  years  ?  And  when  Amer- 
ica awakes  from  sleep  she  spends  little  time  in  yawn- 
ing and  rubbing  her  eyes. 

The  deer  is  still  found  in  nearly  every  State  in  the 
Union,  though  in  many  is  not  now  plenty  enough  for 
still-hunting  unless  upon  snow.  In  Canada  and  the 
northern  tier  of  States  in  the  Great  West,  in  nearly 
all  the  Territories,  in  most  of  the  Southern  and  South- 
western States,  and  on  the  Pacific  coast  it  is  still  quite 
abundant  in  large  tracts  of  country.  But  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  lay  down  any  reliable  rule  for  finding 
where  deer  are  abundant,  for  there  is  no  other  kind  of 
game  whose  movements  and  habits  are  so  influenced 
by  locality,  climate,  season,  elevation  and  shape  of 
ground,  quality,  quantity,  and  distribution  of  food, 
amount  and  nature  of  hunting  to  which  they  are  ex- 
posed, as  well  as  by  snow,  flies,  scarcity  of  water, 
timber,  brush,  etc.,  as  are  the  movements  and  habits 


18  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

of  deer.  Besides  all  this  there  is  sometimes  a  caprice 
about  their  movements  that  will  overturn  all  calcula- 
tions even  when  based  upon  the  most  reliable  data. 
Sometimes  deer  will  shift  hundreds  of  miles  on  the 
approach  of  winter,  as  they  do  in  Northern  Wisconsin 
and  that  part  of  Michigan  lying  north  of  it.  Yet  in 
other  places  of  apparently  the  same  character  they 
move  little  or  not  at  all.  In  places  their  migrations 
are  very  regular,  in  others  so  irregular  as  to  appear 
quite  accidental,  occurring  only  at  intervals  of  several 
years,  often  without  apparent  cause.  In  general  they 
are  regular.  The  snow-belts  of  mountains  they  are 
quite  apt  to  forsake  in  winter  for  the  warmer  or  barer 
foot-hills  or  valleys  below,  sometimes  going  many 
miles  away  into  the  lowland  ranges,  sometimes  linger- 
ing around  the  mountains'  feet,  sometimes  returning 
early  in  the  spring  to  the  high  ranges,  sometimes  re- 
maining in  the  low  ground  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
summer.  Even  when  in  the  high  mountains  their 
movements  will  vary.  Sometimes  they  will  keep 
along  the  highest  ridges  on  which  timber  or  brush  is 
to  be  found,  descending  only  at  night  to  the  little 
meadows  or  valleys  below  to  water  and  feed;  while 
at  other  times  they  will  be  most  numerous  half-way 
down  the  mountain,  and  are  frequently  more  plenty, 
even  in  summer,  in  the  foot-hills  than  in  the  high 
ground.  Sometimes  they  will  be  found  most  plenty 
in  thick  brush;  and  again  the  thick  brush  will  be  al- 
most bare  of  them  and  they  will  be  found  in  the 
gulches  and  breaks  of  comparatively  open  ground. 
Sometimes  they  will  be  most  numerous  in  the  depths 
of  the  heaviest  timber,  sometimes  on  the  edge  of  it 
where  it  breaks  into  scrub  oak,  hazel  and  other  brush, 
sometimes  in  the  long  grass  of  the  sloughs  on  the 


TO   FIND   GOOD  HUNTING-GROUND.  19 

prairie.  Often  they  will  be  most  plenty  in  the  dense 
undergrowth  of  river  bottoms,  and  again  in  the  high 
bluffy  lands  along  them;  sometimes  in  the  heaviest 
swamps  and  places  abounding  in  lakes  or  ponds  ;  some- 
times in  the  valleys  and  low  ravines,  and  again  mainly 
on  the  ridges  and  points.  By  all  this  I  mean  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  deer  will  be  in  such  places,  and 
not  that  they  are  exclusively  on  such  ground;  for  in  a 
country  abounding  in  deer  generally  more  or  less  will 
be  found  on  nearly  all  kinds  of  ground  and  at  every 
season,  except  perhaps  on  the  mountain-tops  in  case 
of  deep  snows  in  winter.  The  habits  of  deer  in  regard 
to  shifting  will  often  vary  very  much  in  the  same  sec- 
tion of  country.  In  some  parts  of  Southern  California 
fully  three  fourths  of  the  deer  on  a  certain  range  will 
leave  it  for  another  range.  In  other  parts  the  same 
deer  will  always  be  found  on  the  same  old  circle  where 
you  have  found  them  for  years,  and  if  killed  out  there 
will  be  few  or  none  to  be  found  there  for  a  year  or  two. 
While  antelope  generally  have  a  far  more  extensive 
daily  or  weekly  range  than  deer,  they  are  less  apt  to 
shift  from  section  to  section  for  any  cause  but  snow. 
Some  of  the  bands  yet  remaining  in  San  Diego  County, 
Cal.,  stay  on  their  old  range  through  the  severest 
drouths,  clinging  to  their  native  plain  long  after 
horses  and  cattle  have  been  starved  out  upon  it,  re- 
fusing to  leave  it  though  there  be  good  feed  in  other 
sections  not  far  away.  But  it  must  not  be  inferred 
that  the  antelope  in  all  sections  retains  this  love  for 
his  native  heath.  Such  may  be  the  case,  but  a  few 
instances  do  not  prove  it.  And  all  through  the  study 
of  still-hunting  you  cannot  be  too  careful  how  you 
draw  conclusions  from  a  few  instances,  and  especially 
about  the  migratory  movements  of  deer. 


20  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

The  plain  truth  is  that  there  is  no  trustworthy  rule 
by  which  to  decide  in  what  section  deer  or  antelope 
are  plenty  enough  to  afford  good  sport.  The  only 
reliance  is  on — 

ist.  General  reputation  of  a  range. 

2d.  Information  from  those  hunting  or  living  upon 
it. 

3d.  Personal  inspection  of  the  range. 

When  a  certain  section  has  the  reputation  of  being 
a  good  deer-range,  such  reputation  is  not  apt  to  be 
baseless.  But  when  you  reach  it  you  will  probably 
have  to  decide  for  yourself  whether  it  will  reward 
you  to  hunt  it.  And  probably  you  will  have  to  decide 
for  yourself  upon  which  part  the  most  game  is  likely 
to  be  found  ;  for  though  few  sources  of  information 
are  more  reliable  than  general  reputation  of  a  range 
few  are  more  unreliable  than  special  information  about 
it.  The  opinion  of  persons  who  are  not  hunters  is 
bad  enough  about  almost  any  kind  of  game,  but  al- 
most worthless  about  deer.  Some  people  are  always 
seeing  some  wonderful  thing,  while  others  never  see 
anything  beyond  their  immediate  business.  One  man 
will  declare  that  "  the  woods  is  lined  with  'em"  be- 
cause he  occasionally  sees  one  or  two  along  the  road 
or  near  a  spring,  taking  them,  of  course,  every  time 
for  different  deer,  or  because  he  sees  a  few  tracks  in 
his  turnip-patch,  counting  unconsciously  a  deer  to 
every  track,  as  is  usual  with  most  persons  not  hunters, 
and  with  too  many  that  are.  Another  dogmatically 
assures  you  that  "  deer  are  mighty  scurse"  because 
he  does  not  see  some  every  time  he  goes  smashing 
through  dry  leaves  and  dead  sticks  with  hobnailed 
stogey  boots  to  look  for  his  cattle  in  the  woods. 

The  opinion  even  of  good  hunters  is  very  unreliable. 


TO  FIND   GOOD  HUNTING-GROUND.  21 

Unless  they  are  hunting  they  know  little  about  what 
part  of  the  range  the  deer  are  actually  most  plenty 
upon.  And  if  they  are  hunting,  a  stranger  can  scarcely 
expect  them  to  introduce  him  to  their  best  preserves. 
That  is  a  little  thicker  cream  than  can  be  reasonably 
expected  to  rise  on  even  the  richest  milk  of  human 
kindness.  Yet  there  are  many  hunters  capable  of  just 
such  weakness  whose  hearts  open  at  once  towards  the 
genial,  gentlemanly  stranger  who  gives  himself  no 
airs  and  makes  no  pretensions.  And  right  here  it  is 
my  duty  to  say  that  if  you  are  out  for  only  two  or 
three  days'  hunt,  if  your  object  be  only  to  kill  a  deer 
for  the  sake  of  saying  you  have  killed  one,  and  you 
do  not  intend  to  continue  still-hunting,  the  very  best 
thing  you  can  do  is  to  entwine  yourself  around  the 
heart  of  such  a  hunter  and,  if  necessary,  pay  him  a 
fair  price  to  work  you  up  a  good  shot.  If  you  cannot 
do  this  and  have  little  time  or  patience  to  spend,  you 
had  better  go  home  and  leave  deer  alone,  for  the 
chances  are  that,  that  even  with  all  the  advice  that  any 
one  can  give,  you  will  be  deeply  disappointed. 

There  is  scarcely  any  kind  of  ground  on  which 
deer  may  not  sometimes  be  found  in  considerable 
numbers,  provided  it  be  somewhat  broken  and  con- 
tain some  cover,  brush  or  trees.  The  deer  loves  cover 
and  will  have  it.  He  loves  browse  and  will  have  it, 
though  he  will  be  sometimes  miles  away  from  it.  He 
loves  ground  more  or  less  rough,  and  will  rarely  be 
found  away  from  it  unless  there  are  extra  inducements 
elsewhere,  in  the  line  of  brush,  long  grass,  or  other 
good  food  and  cover.  As  a  rule,  he  loves  water;  though 
lie  belongs  to  that  class  of  animals  that  will  drink 
water  if  conveniently  obtained,  but  can  go  without  it 
entirelv.  even  in  the  hottest  summer  weather,  like  the 


22  THE   Sl^ILL-HUNTER. 

valley  quail  of  Southern  California.  The  deer  will, 
however,  often  go  a  long  distance  for  water,  and  this 
fact,  combined  with  the  fact  that  he  can  and  often 
will  go  without  it,  makes  the  water  question  some- 
what unreliable  in  determining  his  whereabouts. 

A  kind  of  ground  that  in  some  parts  of  the  coun- 
try will  never  contain  a  deer  may  in  other  sections 
afford  good  sport.  Yonder  wide  stretch  of  plain  that 
looks  so  bare  to  the  eye,  and  is  so  far  away  from  tim- 
ber or  hills  that  in  Minnesota  or  Wisconsin  a  huntei 
would  not  look  at  it,  may  in  Southern  California,  Ari- 
zona, or  Mexico  contain  numbers  of  deer  in  those 
gulches,  cuts,  gullies,  and  creek  bottoms  where  from 
a  distance  the  shrubbery  looks  too  thin  and  sparse 
for  even  a  jack-rabbit  to  live  in.  Yonder  mountain, 
that  even  through  the  glass  seems  only  a  frowning 
mass  of  castle,  crag,  and  boulder,  may  on  inspection 
yield  many  a  deer  stowed  away  in  its  little  brushy 
ravines  or  plateaus.  And  yonder  wavy  sea  of  stony 
ground,  so  utterly  bare  of  grass,  so  bare  even  of  brush 
except  in  the  ravines,  so  bare  of  water  that  you  can- 
not camp  there,  may  at  times  afford  you  good  sport. 
Hence  it  is  about  as  puzzling  to  say  where  deer  may 
not  be  found  as  to  say  where  they  may  be. 

There  is  not  so  much  difficulty  about  the  antelope. 
There  seems,  indeed,  to  be  no  kind  of  ground  too  poor 
for  him  to  live  on  and  keep,  too,  in  fair  condition, 
though,  unlike  the  deer,  he  lives  mainly  on  grass  in- 
stead of  browse.  Though  he  loves  the  plains,  he  has 
no  objection  to  high  rolling  hills  if  they  are  not  too 
brushy.  But  he  hates  brush  and  timber;  and  though 
he  will  occasionally  go  into  thin  brush  or  into  very 
open  timber,  he  need  never  be  sought  where  either 
one  is  thick  or  extensive. 


No  matter  how  carefully  you  may  hunt,  a  deer  often  keeps  a 
little  gulch  handy  into  which  one  jump  makes  him  sate. 


TO  FIND   GOOD   HUNTING-GROUND.  23 

As  a  rule,  good  deer  and  antelope  hunting  must  be 
sought  in  pretty  wild  sections;  and  generally  the  wilder 
they  are  the  better.  This  rule,  again,  has  its  excep- 
tions, and  they  must  not  be  forgotten.  Many  tracts 
of  howling  wilderness  and  many  undisturbed  and 
splendid  mountain-sides  are  almost  entirely  bare  of 
deer  at  all  times,  though  all  the  conditions  of  good 
deer-range  exist.  On  the  other  hand,  many  a  tract 
that  has  been  settled  for  years  and  contains  two  or 
three  or  four  settlers'  cabins  to  the  square  mile  will 
often  contain  deer  enough  for  excellent  sport.  It  is 
much  the  same  with  antelope;  many  a  fine  plain  hav- 
ing been  bare  of  them  within  the  memory  of  the  old- 
est Indians,  others  having  a  band  or  two  that  care 
nothing  for  its  settlements,  except  to  keep  just  out  of 
shot,  remaining  on  their  old  haunts  until,  one  by  one, 
they  fade  away  before  the  relentless  rifle. 

Neither  the  deer  nor  the  antelope  can,  however,  be 
called  an  admirer  of  civilization.  Sometimes  deer 
will  at  once  forsake  a  good-sized  valley  or  timber 
grove  because  a  settler  has  moved  into  it,  though  this 
is  apt  to  be  the  case  only  when  it  is  isolated  from  the 
rest  of  the  range.  Antelope,  too,  will  often  cease  to 
run  up  a  valley  leading  from  the  plain  when  settlers 
have  moved  in,  and  this  even  though  not  hunted. 
Both  of  them  hate  sheep  and  will  generally  desert 
ground  over  which  sheep  range.  But  for  cattle  and 
horses  they  care  nothing  ;  in  fact,  rather  seem  to  en- 
joy their  company  at  times,  provided  the  herdsmen  do 
not  come  among  them  too  often.  But  all  such  things 
affect  only  parts  of  the  range  and  have  little  to  do  in 
determining  its  general  character. 


24  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER   III. 

EXAMINING    THE    GROUND,  SIGNS,  ETC. 

HAVING  selected  the  general  range  or  tract  upon 
which  you  will  hunt,  the  next  point  is  to  determine 
upon  what  part  of  it  it  will  be  best  to  hunt.  For  deer 
are  not  distributed  generally  over  the  whole  even  of 
the  best  ranges,  but  are  more  or  less  concentrated  in 
particular  parts.  And  this  is  so  even  when  they  are 
not  banded  but  are  living  separately.  The  same  is 
true  of  antelope  even  when  the  does  are  scattered 
with  their  kids  and  are  not  banded  as  they  generally 
are.  It  is  also  a  provoking  fact  that  you  have  prob- 
ably noticed  in  other  branches  of  hunting,  that  the 
very  best-looking  ground  is  often  bare  of  game.  And 
deer,  above  all  other  things,  fail  to  appreciate  your 
kindness  in  selecting  their  abiding-places,  and  prefer 
to  make  their  own  selections. 

For  these  reasons  you  will  do  well  to  make  the  ex- 
ploration of  your  ground  and  inspection  of  signs,  etc., 
the  principal  object  of  your  first  day's  hunt.  I  do  not 
mean  that  you  are  to  go  carelessly  or  without  a  keen 
outlook  for  game.  But  before  you  can  hunt  to  much 
advantage  you  must  learn  what  is  commonly  termed 
"  the  lay  of  the  land,"  and  also  know  upon  what  parts 
of  it  the  most  deer  are  ranging.  "  The  lay  of  the 
land  "  is  of  such  importance  that  it  must  never  be 
neglected.  Every  ridge,  every  pass,  every  valley, 


EXAMINING    THE   GROUND,    SIGNS,    ETC.        25 

every  spot  that  you  are  likely  ever  to  travel  again 
should  be  deeply  impressed  upon  the  memory,  with  its 
general  character — either  as  a  deer's  feeding-ground, 
lying- down  ground,  lounging  -  ground,  skulking- 
ground,  or  ground  upon  which  deer  rarely  or  never 
stop.  The  courses  of  all  valleys  should  be  noted  so 
that  you  will  know  how  the  wind  is  in  any  one  of 
them  at  any  time,  how  the  sun  shines  in  them,  the 
facilities  for  traveling  in  them  quietly,  and  for  seeing 
what  is  in  them  without  climbing  too  high  on  the 
ridges.  The  best  routes  along  the  ridges  should  also 
be  noted,  with  the  best  point  of  observation  from  any 
of  them.  In  short,  study  how  the  ground  may  be 
traversed  so  as  best  to  take  advantage  of  the  princi- 
ples hereafter  laid  down. 

In  most  ranges  the  question  of  food  will,  at  the 
proper  time  of  year,  aid  you  more  than  anything  else  in 
determining  what  hunters  call  the  "run  of  the  deer." 
The  deer  is  a  browsing  animal.  He  cares  but  little 
for  grass  in  general;  though  when  it  is  young  and 
tender,  or  when  other  kinds  of  food  are  scarce  or  the 
browse  is  old  and  tough,  he  will  eat  even  grass.  And 
some  of  the  grasses,  such  as  young  wheat,  oats,  bar- 
ley, etc.,  deer  frequently  eat.  I  have  never  known  a 
deer  to  eat  what  is  known  as  "dry  feed,"  to  wit,  sun- 
dr-ied  grass,  as  antelope  and  stock  do  in  California. 
Nor  have  I  ever  found  "  dry  feed  "  in  a  deer's  stomach. 
They  eat  the  buds,  twigs,  and  leaves  of  a  vast  variety 
of  shrubs  and  trees.  And  this  makes  their  feeding- 
ground  for  a  large  part  of  the  year  too  general  to  be 
of  much  aid  in  determining  their  favorite  haunts. 
They  are  fond  of  turnips,  cabbage,  beans,  grapevines, 
and  garden-stuff  generally;  but  all  such  food  is  too 
accidental  to  influence  their  movements  much.  There 


20  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

is  a  long  list  of  berries  and  fruits  which  they  will  eat; 
and  individuals  sometimes  extend  their  researches 
beyond  this  list.  I  once  shot  a  fat  buck  that  con- 
tained half  a  peck  of  the  worst  kind  of  prickly 
pears.  There  are,  however,  but  few  fruits  or  nuts 
that  influence  their  movements  much,  and  of  these 
the  principal  are  chestnuts,  beechnuts,  and  acorns. 
Wherever  there  is  abundance  of  these,  in  a  very  short 
time  after  they  begin  to  fall  the  deer  will  gather  in  to 
feed  on  them,  sometimes  shifting  ground  many  miles 
to  get  convenient  access  to  them.  And  of  all  these 
the  most  universal  is  the  acorn.  Deer  are  very  fond 
of  bush  and  scrub-oak  acorns,  which  they  begin  to 
eat  earlier  in  the  season  than  the  tree  acorns,  not 
being  obliged  to  await  their  falling.  But  ground  on 
which  these  grow  is  apt  to  be  too  brushy  and  make 
too  much  noise  for  very  successful  hunting.  The  best 
ground,  for  the  beginner  especially,  is  the  ground 
known  as  "oak  ridges,"  consisting  of  small  "hog- 
backs" or  higher  ridges  covered  with  black  oak,  red 
oak,  and  white  oak.  These  are  found  throughout  all 
the  heavy  forests  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  States, 
and  here  one  has  a  prospect  of  interviewing  a  bear, 
as  he  too  is  fond  of  acorns.  Moreover,  if  you  hunt 
east  of  the  Missouri  you  can  do  little  till  the  leaves 
have  fallen,  and  by  that  time,  if  it  is  an  "  acorn  sea- 
son," there  will  be  more  or  less  acorns  upon  almost 
any  good  deer-range.  So  you  had  better  go  first  to 
the  "  oak  ridges." 

One  of  the  first  points  upon  which  you  should  sat- 
isfy yourself  is  this  question:  How  much  are  the  deer 
disturbed  by  still-hunting?  For  it  is  a  settled  fact,  of 
which  you  must  never  lose  sight,  that  a  deer's  habits 


EXAMINING    THE    GROUND,    SIGNS,    ETC.        27 

and  movements  will  be  very  much  and  very  quickly 
influenced  by  still-hunting. 

It  is  a  common  idea  with  hunters  that  driving  deer 
with  hounds  drives  them  away  and  makes  them  wilder. 
This  may  in  some  places  be  true.  It  may  also  be  gen- 
erally true  if  swift  hounds  be  used.  But  there  are 
places  where  it  is  not  so,  and  within  my  observation 
deer  have  little  fear  of  slow  dogs.  Deer  that  had  been 
made  so  wild  with  still-hunting  that  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  get  even  sight  of  them  except  under  the 
happiest  combination  of  soft  snow,  favorable  wind, 
and  rolling  ground,  I  have  seen  play  along  for  half  a 
mile  across  an  open  pine-chopping  before  two  curs 
wallowing  and  yelping  through  the  snow  behind  them. 
They  seemed  to  consider  it  only  fun,  stopping  every 
few  jumps  and  looking  back  at  the  curs  until  they  got 
within  a  few  feet  of  them.  About  the  tamest  deer  I 
ever  met  were  some  that  were  habitually  chased  with 
hounds  and  never  still-hunted,  and  one  of  these  I  ac- 
tually approached  within  five  yards  with  a  shot-gun. 

But  more  than  any  other  thing  they  fear  the  still- 
hunter.  Right  well  they  learn,  and  quickly  too,  that 
mischief  without  warning  now  lurks  in  every  corner 
of  the  once  peaceful  home.  And  quickly  they  adapt 
themselves  to  this  change  of  affairs.  I  have  seen  men 
that  were  successful  hunters  ten  and  even  five  years 
ago,  but  who  had  not  hunted  of  late,  traverse  their 
old  grounds  without  getting  a  shot  or  scarcely  seeing 
a  "  flag;"  seeing  plenty  of  tracks,  however,  and  com- 
ing home  wondering  where  the  deer  all  were.  I  have 
seen  deer  that  I  positively  knew  had  no  other  disturb- 
ance than  my  own  hunting  desert  entirely  the  low 
hills  and  open  canons  in  which  they  were  keeping 
before  I  began  to  trouble  them,  shift  a  thousand  feet 


28  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

higher  up,  keep  in  the  thick  chapparal  all  day,  and 
double  their  vigilance  when  they  were  out  of  it.  They 
soon  learn  to  watch  more  of  the  time;  to  lie  down 
where  they  can  see  their  back  track;  to  go  farther 
back  into  higher,  rougher,  and  more  brushy  ground; 
to  lie  down  longer  during  the  day;  to  feed,  water, 
and  lounge  about  more  at  night;  and  to  be  on  foot 
less  during  the  day.  They  also  learn  to  run  on  hear- 
ing a  noise  without  stopping  to  look  back;  to  keep  on 
running  long  past  the  point  where  )"ou  can  head  them 
off;  to  slip  away  before  you  get  in  sight  of  them;  to 
skulk  and  hide  in  thick  brush  and  let  you  pass  them; 
and  a  score  of  other  tricks  we  will  notice  as  we  go  on. 

While  I  prefer  still-hunting  to  hounding  as  a  far 
more  scientific,  wide-awake,  and  manly  sport,  as  well 
as  more  healthful  and  less  monotonous,  there  is  no 
doubt  in  my  mind  which  makes  deer  the  wildest  and 
drives  them  out  the  quickest.  I  have  not  a  particle 
of  interest  in  the  question  of  "  still-hunting  versus 
hounding;"  for  the  world  is  all  before  me  and  I  shall 
hunt  as  I  choose,  but  I  want  the  beginner  to  under- 
stand thoroughly  the  effect  of  still-hunting  on  his 
game,  whether  my  opinion  suit  him  or  not. 

Keeping  well  in  mind  these  points,  go  directly  to 
the  oak  ridges  if  it  is  acorn  time;  for  here  you  will 
find  the  most  indications  as  to  the  number  of  deer 
about,  though  these  indications  are  the  least  reliable 
of  all.  The  less  the  deer  are  disturbed  the  more  time 
they  will  spend  upon  these  ridges,  and  generally  the 
larger  will  be  the  proportion  of  deer  from  the  whole 
range  that  frequent  them  to  feed.  Hence  the  greater 
will  be  the  quantity  of  what  is  called  "sign." 

Signs  consist  of  tracks,  droppings,  beds,  pawing  or 
scraping  places,  places  where  the  brush  has  been 


EXAMINING    THE   GROUND,    SIGNS,    ETC.        29 

hooked  with  horns,  or  the  bark  of  small  trees  frayed 
by  the  rubbing  of  horns  against  it,  the  nipped-off 
shoots  and  twigs  of  brush,  etc.  Of  these  the  only  re- 
liable signs  by  which  to  judge  of  the  number  of  deer 
about  are  the  tracks,  droppings,  and  beds.  All  else 
you  need  not  consider  at  present.  The  fraying  of 
bark  is  only  where  the  buck  has  rubbed  the  velvet 
from  his  horns.  As  this  is  done  late  in  the  summer  it 
is  of  no  use  to  you  now.  The  hooked  brush  indicates 
the  commencement  of  "  running-time;"  of  which  here- 
after. It  will,  however,  give  you  some  idea  of  the 
number  of  bucks  about;  though  one  energetic  buck 
will  fight  a  great  many  bushes  in  one  night.  The 
same  is  true  of  pawing  and  scraping  places,  except 
where  snow  is  pawed  up  to  get  at  acorns. 

Having  reached  the  ridges,  pass  on  from  ridge  to 
ridge,  noting  carefully  the  quantity  of  tracks  and 
droppings,  and  especially  the  size  of  both.  It  is  a 
common  mistake,  into  which  hunters  of  some  experi- 
ence often  fall,  to  count,  unconsciously  often,  a  deer 
to  every  sign  or  two.  The  beginner  especially  is 
almost  certain  to  estimate  the  number  of  deer  from 
six  to  ten  times  too  high.  The  age  of  both  tracks  and 
droppings  is  quite  as  important  to  be  noted.  As  it  is 
nearly  impossible  to  describe  the  difference  between 
a  stale  track  or  dropping  and  a  fresh  one,  this  point 
must  be  left  to  your  common-sense  aided  by  experi- 
ence. Staleness  is,  however,  as  easy  to  detect  with 
the  eye  as  it  is  hard  to  capture  with  the  pen. 

As  there  may  be  two  or  more  deer  of  the  same  size, 
you  may  of  course  underestimate  the  number  of  deer. 
But  there  is  little  danger  of  this.  Nearly  all  the  dan- 
ger lies  in  overestimating  their  number. 

Little  can  be  determined,  however,  from    a  small 


30  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

tract  of  ground.  One  deer,  especially  an  old  buck  in 
the  fall,  will  often  track  up  two  or  three  acres  or 
more  so  that  one  would  think  there  had  been  a  dozen 
deer  there;  while  the  common  expression  "just  like 
sheep-tracks"  with  which  some  ignoramus  is  wont 
to  addle  the  beginner's  head  is  often  based  on  the 
work  of  two  or  three  deer  over  a  few  acres  of  ground. 

You  must  move  on,  then,  over  a  considerable  area 
of  ground.  And  in  so  doing  it  is  still  more  important 
to  note  the  size  and  freshness  of  the  tracks  and  drop- 
pings. For  the  very  same  deer  may  have  marked 
several  acres  yesterday  and  several  different  acres 
each  day  before,  until  nearly  a  hundred  acres  may  be 
so  marked  that  to  the  careless  eye  it  would  look  like 
the  work  of  fifty  deer. 

As  a  rule,  deer  do  not  travel  far  if  undisturbed. 
And  they  generally  travel  less  in  timber  than  in  open 
ground.  With  the  exception  of  a  buck  in  the  fall, 
deer  in  timber  seldom  have  a  daily  range  of  over  half 
a  mile  in  diameter,  and  in  open  ground  seldom  over  a 
mile.  In  brush  it  is  often  much  less.  This  is,  how- 
ever, on  the  assumption  that  food,  water,  and  ground 
for  lying  down  are  all  near  each  other.  For  if  these 
are  not  near  together  a  deer  may  travel  very  far.  I 
have  known  them  to  go  three  miles  for  acorns,  a  mile 
or  two  from  there  to  water,  and  a  mile  or  two  in  an- 
other direction  to  lie  down.  I  have  known  them  de- 
scend five  thousand  feet  at  night  for  food  and  water, 
returning  at  daybreak  to  the  very  tops  of  the  highest 
ridges  in  the  timber-belt.  Disturbance  will  also  soon 
drive  them  to  this.  But  where  undisturbed,  and  where 
food,  water,  and  good  ground  in  which  to  lie  down 
(of  which  hereafter)  are  close  together,  a  deer's  daily 
circuit  is  generally  very  limited.  They  will,  however, 


EXAMINING    THE    GROUND,    SIGNS,    ETC.        31 

often  change  this  circuit,  sometimes  every  day  for  a 
few  days,  sometimes  every  few  days,  and  sometimes 
will  spend  a  week  or  more  on  a  thirty-  or  forty-acre 
piece  of  ground.  This  change  of  daily  circuit  is,  how- 
ever, not  extensive,  being  comprised  often  within  a 
circle  of  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  seldom  exceeding 
two  or  three  miles  except  for  such  special  causes  as 
much  hunting  and  great  distances  between  food, 
water,  and  cover,  etc. 

In  thus  examining  ground  to  determine  something 
about  the  amount  of  deer,  there  are  certain  places 
which  require  special  attention.  Next  to  the  actual 
feeding-ground  there  is  scarcely  any  place  more  cer- 
tain to  have  signs  and  show  them  plainly  than  burnt- 
off  ground.  Why  the  deer  resort  to  burnt  ground  is 
of  little  consequence.  It  is  certain  that  the  tender 
shoots  of  grass,  etc.,  which  spring  up  there  are  not  the 
sole  attraction.  For  often  they  begin  to  frequent  it 
as  soon  as  it  is  fairly  cooled  off,  and  continue  to  fre- 
quent it  even  in  those  countries  where  there  is  no 
summer  rain  to  start  any  vegetation  upon  it.  In 
brushy  countries  this  is  the  very  best  ground  on  which 
to  hunt,  especially  when  after  a  cold  night  the  morn- 
ing sun  shines  brightly  into  it. 

Look  also  in  the  ravines  and  swales  that  lie  between 
ridges  ;  along  the  edges  and  in  the  open  parts  of 
thickets  ;  along  the  bottoms  and  in  the  flats  by  little 
creeks  and  rivulets  ;  in  and  around  the  heads  of 
ravines,  especially  if  the  heads  are  brushy  ;  around 
the  edges  of  windfalls,  especially  fresh  ones,  as  the 
deer  will  come  to  browse  on  the  tops  of  trees  and  on 
the  young  saplings  that  have  been  knocked  down  by 
the  larger  trees.  Look  also  in  the  edges  and  open 
places  of  the  brush  on  the  outer  edge  of  timber,  espe- 


32  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

cially  if  it  be  hazel,  on  which  they  love  to  browse 
when  in  bud.  Look  also  on  all  the  highest  points  in 
the  timber,  on  the  points  and  backbones  of  ridges, 
the  passes  from  ridge  to  ridge,  and  the  connecting 
ridge  of  several  ridges. 

In  inspecting  open  country  do  the  same,  but  pay 
special  attention  to  the  bottoms  and  sides  of  valleys 
and  the  top  of  dividing  ridges  between  them.  For 
here,  if  the  country  be  at  all  rough,  you  will  be  quite 
apt  to  find  the  trails  or  runways  of  the  deer. 

In  those  countries  containing  cattle  running  at 
large  the  cattle-paths  are  also  good  places  to  find 
deer-tracks,  especially  those  paths  leading  to  water 
or  to  high,  rough,  or  brushy  ground.  On  ground  so 
open  as  to  approach  prairie  in  character,  look  well 
around  the  sides,  heads,  and  mouths  of  all  gullies, 
gulches,  etc.,  and  the  nearest  passes  from  one  to  the 
other  across  intervening  ridges  ;  also  in  and  around 
all  patches  of  brush  or  timber,  and  all  sloughs  or 
other  places  full  of  very  long  high  grass,  reeds,  etc. 

In  inspecting  ground  in  those  countries  like  Cali- 
fornia and  the  other  Spanish-American  States  in 
which  there  is  a  long  season  without  rain,  you  may 
save  time  by  going  first  to  the  watering-places,  which 
will  be  some  distance  apart.  But  here  you  may  easily 
draw  wrong  conclusions,  as  even  in  the  very  hottest 
and  driest  weather  deer  often  go  a  day  or  more  with- 
out drinking  at  all.  And  where  it  is  much  trouble 
for  them  to  get  it  they  will  often  go  without  it  alto- 
gether. And  when  the  browse  is  young,  soft,  and 
succulent,  as  well  as  when  it  is  wet  overnight  with 
dew  or  fog,  they  will  generally  dispense  with  water 
even  though  it  be  close  at  hand.  The  deer  is  also  a 
quick  drinker,  and  when  he  goes  only  for  a  drink  and 


EXAMINING    THE    GROUND,    SIGNS,    ETC.        33 

not  to  get  rid  of  flies,  etc.,  generally  wastes  little  time 
around  a  spring,  especially  if  much  hunted.  In  these 
dry  countries,  too,  the  tracks  are  soon  obliterated  by 
those  of  quails,  animals,  ants,  and  other  creatures. 
There  may  also  be  other  water-holes  near  at  hand  of 
which  you  are  unaware.  So  you  must  beware  how  you 
decide  from  the  absence  of  tracks  that  there  are  no 
deer  about.  Deer  also  often  remain  several  days  or 
even  weeks  in  dense  chapparal,  moving  very  little, 
though  this  is  not  apt  to  be  the  case  in  the  fall,  when 
deer  move  more  than  in  summer  and  winter. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  you  find  many  tracks  at  the 
water  you  must  be  careful  not  to  reckon  a  deer  to 
every  four  hoof-prints.  When  several  deer  come  to 
water  together  they  may  crowd  and  jostle  each  other 
around  the  edge  and  change  their  standing-places  so 
often  that  the  whole  margin  of  the  water  is  cut  up. 
Or  some  may  stand  around  while  the  others  drink, 
and  if  not  hunted  or  disturbed  much  they  may  linger 
about  a  while.  On  such  ground  every  track  shows. 

In  all  such  cases  lose  no  time  at  the  spring,  but 
circle  around  one  hundred  or  two  hundred  yards 
away  from  it,  examining  carefully  all  the  trails  and 
open  places  in  the  brush  or  natural  passes  among 
rocks  that  lead  to  the  water.  For  even  where  deer 
generally  have  no  regular  runways  they  nearly  always 
have  certain  directions  from  which  to  approach  a 
spring,  and  will  either  make  some  paths  of  their  own 
or  take  those  made  by  cattle  or  other  animals.  Here 
also  much  ground  must  be  examined,  for  upon  dry 
ground  tracks  (except  in  trails)  are  not  readily  seen 
by  the  unpracticed  eye;  and  to  such  an  eye  both 
tracks  and  droppings  are  apt  to  appear  as  fresh  to- 
day as  they  would  have  seemed  yesterday. 


34  THE    STILL  HUNTER. 

These  same  principles  apply  to  examining  almost 
any  kind  of  ground.  Deer  are  often  found  in  great 
numbers  in  dense  jungles  of  canebrake,  swamp,  and 
chapparal.  But  in  such  ground  Tittle  can  be  done 
by  still-hunting  proper.  One  can  only  get  them  by 
driving  or  by  hunting  around  the  open  places  in  the 
morning  and  evening,  when  they  may  be  out. 

Antelope  are  such  rangers  that  this  kind  of  inspec- 
tion will  not  do  for  them.  Besides,  they  are  so  sure 
to  be  on  foot  during  a  great  part  of  the  day,  to  be  in 
bands,  and  to  be  on  open  ground,  that  the  quickest 
way  to  find  them  is  to  ride  over  the  country,  stopping 
at  every  eminence  and  sweeping  the  country  with  a 
good  glass.  They  will  go  great  distances  for  water, 
seeming  to  need  it  more  than  deer  do ;  and  as  they 
generally  go  to  it  in  a  band  like  cattle,  the  water-holes 
are  the  places  to  look  for  their  tracks. 

And  now  a  puzzling  question  may  meet  the  begin- 
ner •,  namely,  What  is  plenty?  and  are  deer  plenty 
enough  to  hunt  ? 

The  word  "  plenty"  has  of  course  different  mean- 
ings for  different  kinds  of  game.  One  bear  to  the 
square  mile  would  be  plenty  for  bears,  in  most  bear 
countries ;  yet  one  deer  to  the  square  mile  would 
hardly  be  worth  hunting  except  upon  very  favorable 
ground,  and  then  you  would  generally  need  snow. 
"  Plenty"  varies  also  in  meaning  with  localities.  In 
parts  of  Northern  California  plenty — a  few  years  ago 
at  least — would  mean  forty  or  fifty  deer  to  the  square 
mile,  while  in  San  Diego  we  call  five  to  the  square 
mile  plenty.  In  such  heavy  timber  as  covers  the 
north  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota  an  aver- 
age of  ten  to  the  square  mile  would  be  quite  plenty, 


EXAMINING    THE   GROUND,    SIGNS,   ETC.        35 

and  five  to  the  square  mile  would  be  plenty  enough 
for  the  best  of  sport  on  light  snow. 

The  word  "plenty"  varies,  again,  with  the  persons 
using  it.  A  man  finds  his  turnip-patch  well  tracked 
up  and  talks  of  "  plenty  of  deer,"  "  lots  of  deer,"  "just 
like  a  sheep-yard,"  etc.,  when  in  fact  it  is  all  done  by 
two  or  three  deer  that  are  by  daylight  a  mile  or  more 
away  safely  ensconced  in  some  windfall  or  brush- 
patch,  without  another  deer  within  two  or  three 
miles.  "  The  deer  are  so  plenty  they  are  destroying 
the  vineyards"  is  a  species  of  twaddle  very  common 
in  the  papers  of  Southern  California.  He  who  lies 
out  a  few  moonlight  nights  to  watch  one  of  those 
selfsame  vineyards,  or,  failing  in  that,  attempts  to 
follow  the  tracks  of  the  ravagers  back  to  their  moun- 
tain-home in  the  morning,  if  he  is  fortunate  enough 
to  get  even  a  sight  of  the  old  doe  and  two  fawns,  ac- 
companied perhaps  by  a  buck  or  a  yearling  or  two, 
that  did  the  whole  mischief,  returns  hot,  breathless, 
and  disgusted  from  a  long  scramble  among  the  rocks 
and  brush,  and  goes  home  with  a  vastly  different 
notion  of  "  lots  of  deer"  from  what  he  had  when  he 
came  out. 

One  of  the  first  and  most  ineradicable  ideas  the 
beginner  gets  is  that  there  are  about  ten  or  twenty 
times  as  many  deer  about  him  as  there  really  are. 
The  consequence  is  a  speedy  feeling  of  disappoint- 
ment. If  in  the  course  of  a  day's  walk  you  start 
six  or  eight  deer — that  is,  either  see  them  or  find 
where  they  have  run  away  from  you — and  can  find 
tracks  or  droppings  not  over  a  day  or  two  old  at  every 
fifty  or  one  hundred  yards  of  most  of  your  course  over 
the  kinds  of  ground  above  described,  you  may  con- 
sider deer  quite  plenty  enough  for  the  best  of  sport. 


36  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

Antelope,  being  banded,  being  on  open  ground,  and 
visible  at  such  long  distances,  will  afford  good  sport 
on  a  far  smaller  average  to  the  square  mile  than  will 
deer.  That  is,  on  ground  suitable  for  still-hunting. 
And  this  is  a  question  that  for  either  antelope  or  deer 
should  be  decided  before  you  waste  any  time  in  hunt- 
ing it. 

Upon  some  kinds  of  ground  successful  still-hunting 
is  almost  an  impossibility;  while  in  ground  that  is 
suitable  for  it  there  is  such  a  difference  that  five  or 
six  deer  to  the  square  mile  upon  one  kind  will  give 
better  success  than  twenty  to  the  square  mile  upon 
another  kind.  The  best  kind  is  timber  that  !s  open 
enough  to  allow  you  to  see  at  least  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  in  any  direction,  free  enough  from  under- 
brush to  allow  you  to  walk  without  touching  too 
much  of  it,  yet  brushy  enough  in  places  to  afford  good 
browse  and  lying-down  covert  for  deer,  and,  above  all, 
rolling  enough  to  allow  you  to  keep  out  of  sight  be- 
hind ridges  and  look  down  into  hollows  and  basins. 
Ground  that  is  very  brushy  or  quite  level  is  very  dif- 
ficult for  any  one  to  hunt  alone,  and  had  better  be 
entirely  shunned  by  the  novice,  as  his  lot  will  almost 
certainly  be  vexatious  disappointment.  But,  as  I  shall 
show  hereafter,  brushy  ground  may  sometimes  be 
hunted  to  advantage  by  two  or  more  persons  ;  and 
if  there  are  openings  enough  through  it,  it  may  afford 
good  sport  in  the  season  called  "running  time." 

As  a  rule,  the  more  rolling  the  ground  the  shorter 
"the  breaks,"  and  the  higher  the  ridges,  up  to  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  or  so,  the  better.  If  it  roll  too 
much  and  the  ridges  be  too  high,  it  will  make  your 
walking  too  laborious  and  your  shots  too  long.  The 
best  of  all  ground  consists  of  hard-wood  timber,  well 


EXAMINING   THE   GROUND,    SIGNS,   ETC.        37 

open  beneath  and  broken  into  ridges  about  fifty  feet 
high.  Such  ground  generally  contains  acorns  in  the 
fall,  has  plenty  of  windfalls  and  brush  to  make  lying- 
down  covert  for  deer  in  the  daytime,  while  the  tops 
of  the  ridges  are  generally  clear  enough  of  brush  to 
allow  still  movements  of  the  hunter  and  afford  him 
a  good  view  in  nearly  all  directions.  Whether  you 
hunt  in  timber  or  open  country,  the  more  nearly  your 
ground  approaches  the  rolling  character  of  these  oak- 
ridge  forests  the  better  your  chances  of  success. 

For  antelope-hunting  much  the  same  kind  of  ground, 
though  built  on  a  larger  scale,  is  generally  necessary. 
On  a  broad  level  plain  it  is  now  almost  impossible  to 
get  within  shot  of  antelope  except  by  some  kind  of 
trick  in  the  way  of  disguise.  And  even  that  must  be 
an  unusually  smart  invention.  Quite  rolling  ground 
is  the  best  on  which  to  approach  them;  and  if  the 
antelope  are  in  numerous  bands  or  small  bunches, 
this  is  the  only  sure  ground  upon  which  to  get  close 
shots  except  by  such  tricks  as  flagging,  etc.  But  if 
they  are  scarce  or  all  in  one  band,  it  is  often  impos- 
sible to  look  over  enough  of  this  kind  of  ground  to 
find  where  they  are  without  in  many  cases  a  vast 
amount  of  traveling,  there  being  so  many  places 
where  they  can  be  out  of  sight  in  a  valley  or  behind 
some  knolls 


38  THE   STILL-HUNTER, 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    SENSES    OF    THE     GAME    AND     HUNTER. 

HAVING  selected  the  ground  upon  which  you  are  to 
hunt  you  will  probably,  if  left  to  yourself,  go  wander- 
ing around  the  woods  \vith  your  eyes  fixed  about  fifty 
yards  ahead  of  you,  expecting  at  every  turn  to  see  a 
large  calf-like  object  standing  broadside  to  you  in  a 
nice  open  spot,  patiently  awaiting  your  bullet — dis- 
tance twenty-five  or  thirty  yards. 

The  first  thing  you  must  do  is  to  lay  aside  each  and 
every  idea  of  how  a  wild  deer  looks  that  you  have 
ever  derived  from  your  imagination,  from  pictures 
even  by  the  best  artists  in  the  best  magazines  or 
books,  even  when  drawn  by  accomplished  sportsmen. 
No  picture  unless  of  immense  size  and  made  by  a  thor- 
ough hunter  who  is  also  a  thorough  artist  can  convey 
any  notion  of  how  a  deer  looks  on  his  native  heath 
under  the  circumstances  in  which  three  fourths  of  the 
time  you  will  have  to  see  him  to  get  a  shot.  There 
are  of  course  cases  in  which  a  deer  appears  in  the 
woods  just  as  he  does  in  a  picture.  Such  was  often 
the  case  in  the  olden  days.  But  such  is  the  exception 
row.  There  is  an  occasional  deer  that  is  either  a  nat- 
ural fool,  or  has  never  before  seen  a  man,  or  that  may 
have  dropped  into  a  cloze  in  the  daytime  and  awakened 
bewildered  for  an  instant  at  your  near  approach,  or, 
owing  to  formation  of  ground,  cannot  make  out  the 


THE   SENSES  OF   THE   GAME  AND  HUNTER.      3U 

direction  of  the  noise  that  alarms  him  and  stops  a 
minute  to  locate  it.  Such  an  one  makes  an  easy  shot. 

The  deer  you  will  be  apt  to  meet  at  this  day  are 
animals  very  different  from  the  one  above  mentioned. 
And  in  order  to  understand  them  thoroughly  it  is 
necessary  to  consider  well  their  senses. 

You  have  doubtless  heard  and  read  dozens  of  times 
that  the  deer  is  timid,  shy,  and  watchful.  The  trouble 
with  all  such  information  is  that  it  gives  no  idea  of 
the  practical  extent  of  a  deer's  acuteness.  From  all  I 
have  ever  heard  or  read  one  would  never  dream  of  a 
deer's  starting  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  yards 
away,  out  of  your  sight,  beyond  your  hearing,  etc., 
when  you  were  walking  "so  quietly," as  you  thought, 
and  against  the  wind  too.  You  feel  dazed  when  you 
find  the  tracks  of  his  long  jumps  so  fresh  and  far 
apart.  And  many  times  must  even  this  be  repeated 
before  the  light  of  the  true  state  of  affairs  breaks  in 
upon  your  picture-trained  mind. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  nose  of  the  deer  is  perhaps  the 
most  important  sense  to  avoid.  Not  that  they  can 
smell  any  farther  than  they  can  see  or  hear;  but  be- 
cause the  smell  of  a  man  alarms  them  more  thor- 
oughly and  completely  than  any  sound  or  sight.  A 
deer  will  often  stop  an  instant  to  locate  a  noise  or 
look  at  any  unusual  object;  and  when  entirely  undis- 
turbed by  hunting  deer  are  so  certain  to  do  so  that 
there  is  hardly  ever  any  need  of  taking  a  running 
shot.  But  almost  every  wild  animal  knows  instinct- 
ively the  smell  of  a  man.  A  deer  seems  to  know  it 
above  most  all  others.  When  he  catches  the  scent  he 
does  not  have  to  take  a  second  sniff  of  the  tainted  air. 
He  has  generally  no  further  curiosity.  He  is  perfectly 
satisfied  as  to  the  character  and  direction  of  the  odor, 


40  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

and  his  only  concern  is  to  effect  his  immediate  dis- 
appearance. 

This  delicacy  of  scent  is  developed  very  early  and 
needs  no  practice  to  keep  it  acute.  Once,  while  hunt- 
ing on  a  very  hot  morning,  I  sat  down  to  rest  at  the 
mouth  of  a  little  canon  that  led  into  a  larger  one.  At 
the  time  scarcely  any  perceptible  wind  was  stirring. 
I  had  been  seated  only  about  two  minutes  when  a 
sudden  crash  and  bump,  bump,  bump  of  hoofs  brought 
me  with  a  bound  to  my  feet,  and  I  saw  two  half- 
grown  fawns  bounding  up  the  cafion  at  full  speed  and 
a  hundred  yards  away.  On  examining  the  ground 
I  found  that  they  had  been  lying  under  a  thick  bush 
of  sumac  about  eighty  yards  from  me,  and  had  sprung 
several  feet  at  the  first  bound.  An  intervening  rise 
of  ground  showed  plainly  that  they  did  not  see  me, 
and  as  I  had  been  walking  in  a  soft  dusty  cattle-trail 
with  moccasins  with  great  stillness,  sat  down  quietly, 
and  sat  without  anything  moving  for  over  two  minutes 
(just  about  the  time  it  would  take  scent  to  move  to 
them  in  the  light  breeze  there  was),  I  feel  equally 
confident  that  they  did  not  hear  me.  From  my  knowl- 
edge of  that  ground  I  know  positively  that  those 
fawns  had  never  before  met  a  man.  I  have  often 
noticed  that  fawns,  though  they  may  stand  and  look 
at  you,  or  stop  when  you  start  them  with  a  noise  only, 
seldom  stop  when  they  smell  you. 

He  who  has  seen  a  good  dog  scent  grouse  against 
a  cool  morning  or  evening  breeze  on  a  prairie  needs 
scarcely  to  be  told  of  the  distance  at  which  a  deer  can 
smell  such  a  great  gross  beast  as  a  man,  especially 
with  a  cool  damp  breeze  in  a  valley. 

This  fear  of  a  man's  scent  is  also  more  universal 
'Jian  the  fear  of  a  sight  or  sound  of  him.  In  an 


o    2 


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&0     rt 

.5  ;s 

'>  « 

5  -^ 

^  c 

C/2  « 


THE   SENSES  OF   THE    GAME  AND  HUNTER.      41 

open  country  deer  will  often  stand  and  watch  a  dis- 
tant man  when  they  know  perfectly  well  what  he  is. 
The  brush-deer  often  cares  little  for  noise,  and  will  let 
a  man  come  tearing  through  the  brush  quite  close  to 
his  skulking  form.  But  let  such  a  deer  catch  your 
scent  and  he  tarries  no  longer. 

Still  there  are  times  when  the  scent  of  a  man  does 
not  alarm  deer.  But  this  is  probably  due  more  to  the 
casual  existence  of  cross-currents  of  air  that  carry 
away  the  scent  than  to  any  indifference  on  the  part  of 
the  deer.  Also  when  running,  and  even  when  walk- 
ing, they  will  often  pass  to  leeward  of  a  man,  and 
may  come  very  close  to  him  if  the  man  keeps  perfectly 
still.  Where  they  seldom  see  a  man  on  a  horse  or  in 
a  wagon,  deer  will  frequently  stand  quite  unconcerned 
within  plain  sight  and  scent  of  both.  And  where 
men  travel  much  on  horseback  they  will  often  do  the 
same  thing  if  they  are  not  much  hunted.  But  upon 
these  exceptions  no  dependence  must  be  placed,  as 
where  one  thus  stands  probably  two  slip  away  unob- 
served. 

Where  much  hunted  the  ears  of  a  deer  become  the 
most  acute  and  practiced  of  his  senses.  And  in  many 
sections  it  is  his  hearing  that  makes  the  most  difficulty 
in  approaching  him.  And  often  it  is  the  hardest  of 
all  his  senses  to  avoid.  I  have  often  seen  a  deer 
spring  from  his  bed  at  a  bound  and  run  away  at  a 
racer's  speed  before  I  was  within  two  hundred  yards 
of  him,  when  I  was  positive  that  a  man  could  not  at 
twenty  yards'  distance  have  heard  the  soft  tread  of  my 
moccasins  on  the  light  snow,  and  when  I  touched  not 
a  single  bush  or  twig  in  a  way  that  could  make  a 
noise.  Yet  the  fact  that  the  breeze  was  coining  from 
the  deer  to  me  showed  that  he  could  not  have  smelt 


42  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

me.  And  looking  from  the  deer's  bed  to  my  own  po- 
sition at  the  time  he  sprang  showed  plainly  that  lie 
could  not  have  seen  me  even  had  he  been  standing 
instead  of  lying  down  as  he  was  doing.  Lie  down 
upon  the  ground  in  the  woods  some  still  day  about 
the  time  of  your  companion's  return  to  camp  and  see 
how  far  you  can  hear  his  footsteps  even  with  your 
dull  ears. 

Even  when  the  long  practiced  and  moccasined  foot 
falls  on  the  ground  as  softly  as  snow,  even  when  the 
leaves  or  twigs  are  softened  with  long  rain,  there  is  a 
faint  crushing,  packing  sound  that  acute  ears  can 
hear  along  the  ground  a  long  distance.  And  the 
lightest  snow,  if  of  any  depth,  makes  a  faint  grinding 
noise  as  it  packs  beneath  the  foot.  So  they  will  hear 
at  a  long  distance  the  snapping  or  brushing  of  twigs 
against  your  clothes  and  the  switching  sound  in  the 
air  as  you  let  them  fly  back.  These  latter  are,  how- 
ever, not  so  apt  to  alarm  a  deer  lying  down  as  sounds 
from  the  feet,  though  the  other  sounds  may  be  the 
more  audible  to  you. 

Deer  know,  too,  as  well  as  a  man  the  distance  of 
sounds,  and  also  their  character,  and  are  rarely  de- 
ceived. They  will  often  lie  all  day  within  plain  hear- 
ing of  the  noises  of  a  settler's  cabin,  the  sound  of  the 
ax,  and  the  lurid  vocabulary  of  the  teamster  in  the 
"  pinery."  The  crash  of  a  squirrel's  jump,  the  roar  of 
thunder,  the  snapping  of  trees  with  frost,  their  creak- 
ing or  falling  in  the  wind,  generally  does  not  alarm 
them  in  the  least.  Yet  the  faint  pressing  of  the  leaves 
beneath  the  feet,  or  the  crack  of  a  twig  a  hundred 
yards  or  more  away,  may  send  them  flying. 

The  direction  of  noise,  however,  often  perplexes 
deer.  And  in  their  perfectly  natural  state  their  curi- 


THE   SENSES  OF    THE   GAME   AND  HUNTER.      43 

osity  to  know  its  exact  location  and  precise  character 
generally  leads  them  to  stop  after  running  a  few 
jumps.  And  often  they  will  rise  up  and  look,  stand- 
ing directly  in  their  beds.  After  a  certain  amount  cf 
persecution  they  generally  lose  this  curiosity,  become 
perfectly  satisfied  with  a  general  presumption  of  mis- 
chief, and  stand  not  on  the  order  of  their  going; 
though  the  very  wildest  of  deer  may  occasionally 
yield  to  the  temptation  to  take  just  one  look. 

Against  the  wind  a  deer  cannot  of  course  hear  so 
well  as  he  can  down  the  wind.  But  even  up  wind 
you  should  relax  no  caution,  as  in  such  case  there  is 
generally  no  need  of  haste. 

An  apparent  exception  to  this  sense  of  hearing  is 
in  case  of  the  skulking  or  hiding  deer.  The  excep- 
tion is,  however,  apparent  only.  Deer  that  live  much 
in  very  thick  brush,  often  depend,  like  many  other 
animals,  upon  standing  or  lying  still  and  letting  you 
pass  them.  They  know  perfectly  well  that  you  oan- 
not  see  them.  The  deer  of  Southern  California  is 
very  apt  to  be  of  this  character  when  found  in  the 
brushy  regions.  Even  when  in  the  open  hills  or  in 
the  timber-groves  or  in  the  mountains  this  deer  is  not 
half  so  shy  of  noise  as  is  the  deer  of  the  Eastern 
woods.  If  deer  in  San  Diego  County  were  as  afraid 
of  noise  as  they  are  in  the  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota 
woods  it  would  be  nearly  impossible  to  approach 
them  in  the  dry  season  when  the  brush,  grass,  and 
weeds  are  brittle.  In  Southern  California  they  depend 
more  upon  their  scent  and  sight  than  upon  hearing. 
But  it  would  be  absurd  to  suppose  that  they  do  not 
hear.  Many  a  hunter  there  loses  a  shot  through  his 
folly  in  reasoning  upon  this  point.  A  deer  does  not 
stand  or  skulk  because  you  make  an  extra  noise.  That 


44  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

trick  he  will  play  anyhow  if  he  has  decided  on  that 
course.  But  half  the  time  instead  of  standing  he  slips 
quietly  off  before  you  get  in  sight  of  him.  You  gain 
nothing  on  the  skulker  by  your  noise.  And  by  it 
you  lose  the  other  entirely. 

Another  exception,  which  is  perhaps  apparent  only, 
is  the  case  of  deer  in  open  ground.  This  results 
mainly  from  the  difference  in  the  appearance  of  dis- 
tances in  the  woods  and  in  the  open;  distance  in  the 
woods  appearing  much  greater.  It  is  probable,  too, 
that  sounds  can  be  heard  a  trifle  farther  in  the  woods 
owing  to  there  being  less  wind  and  some  cover  over- 
head. At  any  rate,  it  seems  so  with  noises  not  too 
distant,  though  the  point  is  a  hard  one  to  prove. 

To  recognize  an  object  at  rest  the  eyes  of  a  deer 
are  about  as  dull  as  those  of  a  dog.  But  this,  again, 
has  two  partial  exceptions.  On  open  ground  deer 
can  often  recognize  a  man  quite  well,  especially  if  he 
be  standing.  And  if  they  have  taken  any  alarm  they 
will  be  quite  sure  to  do  so.  Even  in  the  woods  if  a 
man  be  standing  and  the  deer  has  taken  alarm,  the 
deer  will  be  quite  apt  to  identify  him.  But  as  a  rule, 
if  the  deer  is  unalarmed,  he  will  not  know  a  man 
from  a  stump  on  open  ground  if  the  man  is  seated 
and  motionless  ;  nor  will  he  in  the  woods  even  if  the 
man  is  standing.  If  the  deer  is  moving,  and  especi- 
ally if  running,  he  is  quite  blind  to  anything  ahead  of 
him,  provided  it  does  not  move.  Hence  if  some  ona 
drives  a  deer  toward  you,  you  need  little  or  no  con- 
cealment if  you  keep  still.  But  when  he  gets  in  sight 
of  you,  beware  how  you  move  a  step  for  a  better 
position.  You  may  do  it,  but  your  game  is  liable  to 
switch  off  to  one  side  in  a  twinkling. 

A  deer  can  also  see  a  long  way.     I  have  seen  them 


THE   SENSES  OF   THE   GAME  AND  HUNTER.      45 

watching  my  companion  nearly  a  mile  away,  whose 
motions  I  could  hardly  make  out  myself.  It  is  doubt- 
ful, though,  if  a  deer  can  distinguish  a  man  at  any 
such  distance,  or  even  at  half  of  it. 

But  a  deer's  eyes  are  marvelously  quick  to  catch  a 
motion.  And  the  fact  that  deer  are  generally  at  rest 
while  you  are  in  motion  gives  them  an  immense  ad- 
vantage over  you.  So  keen  are  their  eyes  to  detect  a 
motion  that  if  you  once  get  within  their  eye-range  and 
they  suspect  you,  it  is  almost  useless  to  try  to  get  a 
single  step  closer  to  them.  From  this  arises  the  com- 
mon hunter's  maxim,  "When  you  see  a  deer,  shoot;" 
a  maxim  demanding  great  qualification,  however.  A 
deer  not  alarmed  may  often  be  approached  after  you 
come  within  his  sight;  as  we  shall  see  hereafter. 

Not  only  are  they  quick  to  detect  a  motion,  but 
they  can  detect  a  very  slight  one  or  a  very  slow  one, 
and  do  it,  too,  at  quite  a  distance.  The  slow  rising 
of  your  head  over  a  ridge,  the  slow  movement  of  your 
body  across  the  trunks  of  trees,  the  slow  motion  of  a 
creeping  body  along  the  ground  they  see  almost  in- 
stantly, unless  the  motion  happens  to  be  made  while 
they  have  their  heads  down  feeding  or  walking,  etc. 
A  deer  once  started  watches  back  with  an  acuteness 
that  in  the  woods  is  quite  certain  to  baffle  the  keenest- 
eyed  pursuer,  and  is  likely  to  do  so  on  open  ground. 
And  when  much  hunted  by  tracking  they  learn  to 
watch  their  back  track  without  waiting  to  be  started. 

The  senses  of  antelope  are  about  the  same  as  those 
of  deer.  Their  great  bulging  eyes  like  old-fashioned 
watch-crystals  will  catch  a  far  slighter  motion  than 
those  of  a  deer,  will  catch  it  three  or  four  times  as  far 
away,  and  catch  it,  too,  in  almost  any  quarter  of  the 
horizon.  My  experience  with  them  at  close  ranges 


46  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

has  been  too  limited  to  enable  me  to  determine  satis- 
factorily whether  they  are  as  sensitive  to  noise  as  a 
deer.  So  far  as  I  have  seen  they  are  not,  though  this 
is  probably  on  account  of  being  on  open  ground;  a 
distinction  before  explained.  For  the  same  reason 
the  question  of  scent  seems  to  be  less  important. 
But  then  you  should  not  presume  in  the  slightest 
upon  any  failure  of  acuteness  in  any  of  their  senses; 
and  especially  in  their  eyes,  to  which  you  must  never 
yield  a  single  point  of  vantage. 

In  fact,  you  must  not  presume  upon  any  exception 
about  the  senses  of  either  antelope  or  deer.  If  you 
deal  with  every  one  as  if  he  were  the  most  wary  of 
his  race,  you  will  lose  nothing  if  he  turns  out  a  sim- 
pleton. Whereas  if  you  deal  with  any  as  if  they  were 
simpletons,  you  will  lose  not  only  the  wise  ones  but 
many  a  simpleton  also. 

And  now  let  us  consider  what  you  have  with  which 
to  outgeneral  these  senses  of  your  game. 

I  have  seen  one  man  who  claimed  that  he  could 
smell  deer.  As  he  could  make  no  practical  use  of  his 
power  in  jumping,  or  starting,  or  finding  the  animal, 
even  against  a  cool  morning  breeze,  it  may  be  con- 
sidered worthless  even  if  it  were  not  all  in  his  fancy. 
A  good  musky  old  buck  in  the  fall,  if  close  by,  may 
be  smelt.  And  so  may  a  billy-goat.  But  the  buck 
cannot  be  smelt  far  enough  to  keep  him  from  discov- 
ering you  first.  The  hunter's  nose  may  be  regarded 
as  useless  except  to  find  camp  at  evening  when  the 
bacon  and  coffee  are  ready. 

Your  ears  will  often  detect  the  sound  of  hoofs  when 
you  have  started  a  deer,  and  are  then  useful  as  a  guide 
to  your  eyes.  They  may  also  help  you  discover  a 
deer  moving  in  brush  or  on  hard  ground  if  near  at 


THE   SENSES  OF   THE   GAME  AND  HUNTER.      47 

hand.     They  may  also  catch   the  snort  or  bleat  of  a 
deer.     They  should  by  all  means  be  cultivated. 

But  your  main  reliance  must  be  your  eyes.  And 
these  should  be  of  the  first  class.  If  you  are  near- 
sighted or  weak-sighted  you  may  as  well  give  up  all 
hope  of  being  anything  like  an  expert.  You  may 
be  a  good  shot  at  the  target  and  see  very  well  with 
glasses,  but  you  will  lack  that  quickness,  comprehen- 
siveness, and  acuteness  of  sight  that  is  indispensable 
to  success.  A  deer  hanging  up  in  market,  standing 
in  a  park,  or  stuffed  in  a  museum  is  one  thing.  But 
in  the  ground  where  he  is  generally  found,  whether 
feeding,  standing  up  or  lying  down,  he  is  quite 
another.  This  is  the  reason  why  all  pictures  are  mis- 
leading. A  deer  as  he  appears  about  five  sixths  of 
the  time  in  his  native  home  would  make  an  almost 
invisible  point  on  a  two-by-four-foot  canvas.  Not  only 
his  smallness  but  his  varying  color  and  shape  in 
different  lights  and  positions,  the  fact  that  one  sel- 
dom sees  the  whole  of  the  body  at  once  and  sees  it 
then  only  on  a  dim,  perhaps  dark,  background,  make 
him  one  of  the  hardest  of  all  objects  to  catch  with  the 
eyes.  Nothing  in  the  whole  line  of  hunting  is  so  im- 
portant as  to  see  the  deer  before  he  sees  you;  and 
there  is  scarcely  anything  else  so  hard  to  do.  In  this 
more  than  in  almost  any  other  one  thing  lies  the 
secret  of  the  old  and  practical  still-hunter's  success. 
Sometimes  a  dim  blur  in  a  thicket;  sometimes  a  small 
spot  of  brown  or  gray  or  yellow  or  red  or  white  or 
nearly  black  far  away  on  a  hillside  or  ridge;  some- 
times a  dark  gray  or  brownish  patch  among  tree- 
trunks  or  logs  of  the  same  color;  sometimes  only  a 
pair  of  slender  legs,  looking  like  dead  sticks  beneath 
a  huge  fallen  tree;  a  few  tines  looking  like  dead 


48  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

sticks  in  a  distant  bush;  a  pair  of  delicate  ear-tips  just 
visible  above  weeds,  brush,  or  long  grass;  a  glisten- 
ing point  or  two  where  the  sun  strikes  upon  a  polished 
horn;  a  shiny  spot  far  away  where  the  light  just 
touches  a  bit  of  glossy  hair.  It  takes  the  highest  com- 
bination of  natural  keenness  and  culture  of  vision  to 
detect  one  until  just  a  second  or  two  too  late  for  a 
shot.  I  shall  never  forget  the  surprise  of  a  certain 
youth  who  even  in  boyhood  was  distinguished  among 
far  older  hunters  for  his  acuteness  in  seeing  squirrels 
hidden  in  trees,  hares  in  their  forms,  woodcock  on 
the  autumn  leaves  ahead  of  the  dog,  etc.  etc.,  when 
he  first  began  to  turn  that  eye  on  deer,  and  see  them 
run  out  of  a  thicket  through  which  he  could  see 
clearly;  and  going  to  it,  find  the  deer  had  been  stand- 
ing up  in  it  all  the  time  he  was  looking  through  it. 

Very  often  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  see  them; 
as  where  they  are  in  thick  brush,  old  pine-slashings, 
heavy  windfalls,  especially  when  lying  down.  So 
when  they  lie  in  the  long  slough-grass  of  the  prairie, 
and  in  hot  weather  when  they  lie  in  the  shade.  Of 
course  they  will  sometimes  be  in  such  a  position  that 
any  one  can  see  them  at  once.  But  this  is  the  rare 
exception  and  must  not  be  depended  on.  A  good 
glass  is  a  great  help  in  a  large  open  country;  but  you 
must  not  allow  yourself  to  depend  on  it,  and  should 
use  it  only  when  you  have  to.  In  timber  it  will  gen- 
erally be  of  little  use,  though  if  you  must  carry  a  lot 
of  things  it  will  do  no  harm  and  may  be  useful.  For 
antelope-hunting  it  is  often  almost  indispensable. 
Every  spot  of  white  or  brown  or  gray,  every  hazy  line, 
every  point  or  glimmer  like  mirage  for  miles  around 
should  be  carefully  scanned  with  it.  But  for  deer  it 
had  better  be  generally  reserved  to  resolve  doubtful 


.2  •£ 

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_.      1) 

o   "5 


THE    SENSES  OF   THE   GAME  AND  HUNTER.      49 

things  which  you  first  catch  with  the  naked  eye. 
Otherwise  your  eye  will  lose  the  extreme  keenness 
and  quickness  absolutely  necessary  for  good  still- 
hunting. 


6Q  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    DAILY    LIFE    OF    DEER    AND    ANTELOPE. 

BEFORE  one  can  expect  any  success  in  still-hunting 
he  must  know  something  about  the  daily  life  and 
movements  of  the  game.  In  hunting  antelope  this  is 
not  of  so  much  importance,  as  they  live  in  country  so 
open,  are  so  conspicuous  in  color,  and  keep  so  much 
in  bands,  that  with  a  good  glass  and  careful  searching 
from  prominent  points  they  can  be  seen  at  immense 
distances.  And  this  must  be  done  any  how,  for 
they  are  such  wide  rangers  that  there  is  little  use  to 
be  made  of  their  tracks  except  to  get  their  general 
course;  and  when  you  are  once  upon  their  range  you 
can  employ  your  time  to  better  advantage  in  covering 
as  much  ground  as  possible  with  your  horse  and 
sweeping  it  with  your  glass. 

But  the  deer  keeps  so  close  to  some  kind  of  cover, 
is  of  a  color  so  neutral,  often  resembling  the  general 
background  upon  which  he  is  to  be  seen,  that  one 
may  often  pass  within  easy  shot  of  a  dozen  without 
seeing  them  at  all  unless  they  run.  There  is  little 
trouble  in  seeing  antelope,  on  rolling  ground  at  least, 
provided  you  get  within  a  half-mile  or  so  of  them. 
The  main  difficulty  is  to  get  a  shot  after  you  do  see 
them.  With  deer  it  is  not  only  difficult  enough  to  get 
a  good  shot,  but  almost  as  hard  to  find  them  at  all. 
The  general  whereabouts  of  antelope  being  known,  it 
is  little  trouble — or  rather  it  takes  little  or  no  skill  or 


DAILY  LIFE    OF  DEER  AND  ANTELOPE.        61 

knowledge — to  find  their  particular  whereabouts.  But, 
given  the  general  whereabouts  of  deer,  it  generally,  on 
bare  ground,  remains  a  highly  intricate  problem  to 
find  the  clew  to  their  particular  whereabouts.  To  do 
this,  on  ground  where  it  is  not  possible  or  advisable  to 
track,  a  pretty  accurate  knowledge  of  the  deer's  life  is 
necessary.  This  varies  so  much  in  the  details  in  dif- 
ferent countries,  and  even  in  different  parts  of  the 
same  country,  that  all  that  any  writer  can  do  within 
the  limits  of  a  general  work  is  to  mark  out  the  out- 
lines and  leave  them  to  be  filled  in  by  your  own  expe- 
rience and  study  in  the  woods. 

The  deer  is  an  early  riser.  He  is  generally  up  before 
daybreak,  and  often  up  the  whole  night  except  at 
short  intervals.  But  by  daybreak  he  is  nearly  always 
on  foot.  About  the  first  thing  he  does  in  those  coun- 
tries where  water  is  scarce  and  where  the  season  is 
dry  and  hot  enough  to  make  him  thirsty  is  to  start 
for  water.  This  he  may  do  very  leisurely,  though; 
feeding  along  the  way  and  taking  plenty  of  time  to 
look  about  him,  so  that  he  may  not  reach  water  until 
sunrise  or  long  after.  Or  he  may  go  straight  to  it  and 
walk  away  quite  as  rapidly  as  he  came.  Or  he  may 
come  directly  to  it  and  then  lounge  away  from  it,  feed- 
ing and  looking  as  he  goes.  How  a  deer  will  act  in 
going  to  water  or  leaving  it,  as  well  as  his  time  of 
watering,  are  things  that  cannot  be  reduced  to  rule. 
When  entirely  undisturbed  they  will  in  hot  weather 
water  at  any  time  of  day,  and  when  flies  or  mosquitoes 
are  bad  will  spend  much  of  their  time  there  if  there 
are  large  bodies  of  water.  But  where  there  are  simply 
small  drinking-holes  they  will  rarely  stay  there,  and  if 
disturbed  much  will  water  only  at  night  or  very  early 
in  the  morning.  And  they  will  be  apt  to  do  the  same 


52  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

when  watering  very  near  a  house  or  spring  where  they 
may  see  people  passing,  even  though  they  are  not 
shot  at.  In  the  forests  of  nearly  all  the.  Eastern  States, 
especially  in  the  mountains,  water  is  so  abundant  that 
little  use  can  be  made,  in  still-hunting  proper,  of  the 
question,  When  and  where  does  a  deer  water?  For 
fire-hunting,  etc.,  the  question  has  its  importance. 
And  even  in  those  dry  countries  where  the  water-holes 
are  scarce  one  must  beware — for  the  reasons  hereto- 
fore given — of  placing  too  much  reliance  upon  a  deer's 
habits  in  regard  to  drinking. 

A  deer  is,  however,  quite  certain  to  feed  more  or 
less  after  daybreak,  even  though  he  may  have  been 
on  foot  the  greater  part  of  the  night.  The  deer  be- 
longs to  that  class  of  animals  like  the  horse,  the  ox, 
etc.,  that  can  see  tolerably  well  in  the  dark  and  always 
do  a  certain  amount  of  moving  about  at  night,  but 
nevertheless  prefer  a  little  more  light  when  it  is  not 
too  inconvenient  to  get  it.  So  that,  though  he  may  be 
never  so  well  fed  during  the  night,  he  is  quite  likely 
to  take  a  little  more  browse  or  a  few  more  acorns  at 
daybreak. 

Like  a  cow  or  horse  in  good  pasture  a  deer  may  do 
all  of  his  feeding  on  an  acre  or  two  of  ground,  or  he 
may  straggle  over  fifty  or  a  hundred  acres  of  equally 
good  feed.  Which  he  will  do  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine except  approximately.  When  in  heavy  brush 
he  is  apt  to  feed  close.  So  when  he  has  been  much  on 
foot  during  the  night,  as  during  full  moon;  so  when  he 
is  hunted  much.  On  the  contrary,  in  thin  brush  or 
during  the  dark  of  the  moon,  or  when  little  disturbed, 
he  is  more  apt  to  straggle  about  while  feeding.  The 
quantity  of  food  at  hand  seems  to  make  little  differ- 
ence. A  deer  will  often  wander  on  over  ridge  after 


(X 

-d 


DAILY  LIFE   OF  DEER  AND  ANTELOPE.        53 

ridge  well  covered  with  acorns,  picking  up  one  or  two 
here  and  there  and  going  on  a  few  yards  for  more,  or 
eating  half  a  dozen  here  and  there  and  going  on  a 
hundred  yards  for  more.  In  such  particulars  he  is 
governed  mainly  by  whim. 

A  deer  may  straggle  over  fifty  acres,  feeding  and 
finishing  very  quickly,  or  he  may  take  three  or  four 
hours  about  it.  The  same  when  feeding  on  a  small 
space.  He  may  stand  and  browse  half  an  hour  on  one 
bush,  or  after  one  or  two  bites  leave  it  for  the  next 
one,  which  perhaps  is  not  half  so  good,  and  spend  an 
hour  in  trying  fifty  bushes.  In  all  these  respects  he  is 
a  provokingly  aggravating  beast,  governed  largely  by 
caprice  and  often  upsetting  your  best  calculations. 
And  it  is  often  very  important  to  make  these  calcula- 
tions correctly,  especially  in  hunting  open  country, 
where  you  see  a  deer  feeding  a  long  way  off  and  need 
some  time  to  get  within  good  shot.  But  in  general, 
the  length  of  time  a  deer  will  feed  will  depend,  as  in 
case  of  the  space  over  which  he  will  wander  in  feed- 
ing, upon  the  moon  and  the  amount  of  persecution 
he  has.  It  will  depend  also  upon  the  weather.  In  very 
hot  weather  he  will,  as  a  rule,  finish  feeding  and  lie 
down  sooner  than  in  cool  or  cold  weather. 

In  nearly  every  case  in  which  deer  are  foraging  in  a 
garden,  a  turnip-patch,  or  other  cultivated  crop,  they 
understand  perfectly  what  they  are  about.  Daybreak 
will  nearly  always  find  them  gone  or  departing.  When 
feeding  in  such  a  place  they  must  generally  be  sought 
far  away  from  it  in  the  daytime. 

But  when  feeding  after  daybreak  there  is  one  thing 
a  deer  rarely  fails  to  do,  and  that  is  to  keep  up  a 
pretty  constant  watch  for  danger.  Every  moment  or 
two  the  head  comes  up  and  scans  at  least  half  the  cir- 


54  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

cle  of  vision,  while  the  big  ears  flare  impatiently  for 
the  faintest  sound.  Sometimes  this  looking  is  con- 
tinued so  long  and  suspiciously  that  you  feel  positive 
that  he  suspects  you.  Yet  if  you  have  perfect  patience 
you  may  soon  find  that  he  suspects  nothing,  though 
he  may  have  been  looking  never  so  keenly  and  directly 
at  you.  When  the  head  is  thus  up  and  the  animal 
watching,  it  is  unsafe  to  make  the  slightest  movement 
if  you  are  near,  as,  even  if  you  are  out  of  his  sight,  his 
ears  are  then  keener;  if  within  fair  shot,  you  should 
shoot  notwithstanding  the  movement  necessary  to  do 
so,  as  a  deer  thus  watching  is  liable  to  vanish  at  any 
moment,  and,  even  if  suspecting  nothing,  is  liable  in  a 
econd  to  slip  out  of  your  sight  behind  a  bush  or  tree 
or  rise  of  ground. 

Having  finished  feeding,  the  deer  generally  proceeds 
to  lounge  a  while.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  elegant  leis- 
ure, and  has  all  the  deliberate  ease  of  aristocratic  dig- 
nity. He  stands  a  while  and  surveys  the  landscape  or 
the  dark  rotunda  of  tree-trunks  around  him.  Then 
perhaps  he  scratches  one  ear  with  a  hind-foot,  wiggles 
his  tail,  and  stands  a  while  longer.  If  there  are  any 
fawns,  they  are  apt  to  skip  and  play  a  little.  A  year- 
ling is  also  apt  to  feel  a  little  frisky,  and  even  a  digni- 
fied old  doe  or  buck  may  romp  a  minute  or  two  with 
some  young  deer. 

But  there  is  generally  at  such  times  a  decided  ten- 
dency to  move  on.  This  is  generally  done  by  easy 
stages.  The  deer  walks  slowly  a  little  way,  and  then 
stops  a  while.  Why  he  stops  he  probably  does  not 
know  himself.  He  may  nibble  a  twig  or  two  during 
these  pauses,  or  he  may  stand  half  an  hour  by  a  bush 
full  of  succulent  and  savory  twigs  and  not  touch  one. 
He  may  stand  two,  five,  twenty,  or  thirty  minutes  and 


DAILY  LIFE   OF  DEER  AND  ANTELOPE.       65 

do  nothing ;  or  he  may  move  slowly  on,  making 
numerous  short  pauses.  If  the  weather  be  cold  or 
very  cool  he  will  be  almost  certain  to  stop  in  the  sun- 
shine. If  it  be  hot  he  is  quite  as  certain  to  tarry  in 
the  shade;  generally  on  the  shady  side  of  a  bush  if  on 
open  ground.  As  he  often  postpones  drinking  until 
after  feeding,  he  may  all  this  time  be  tending  toward 
water;  though,  as  a  rule,  when  going  to  water  after 
feeding — that  is,  unless  feeding  toward  water — the  deer 
walks  fast  and  stops  but  little.  While  thus  walking  or 
lounging  along  the  deer  is  generally  not  as  watchful 
as  when  feeding.  He  will  often  stand  a  while  with 
head  down  like  a  cow,  especially  in  a  rain  or  snow 
storm,  and  often  w"hen  in  the  shade  on  a  hot  morning. 
When  the  sunshine  feels  good  on  a  cold  morning  he  is 
more  apt  to  have  his  head  up.  But,  as  I  have  before 
remarked,  never  presume  upon  a  deer's  carelessness  if 
you  can  help  it. 

This  lounging  spell  may  be  continued  for  an  hour 
or  two  or  three  hours,  depending,  like  his  feeding, 
much  upon  the  length  of  time  the  deer  has  been  on 
foot  during  the  night,  the  temperature  of  the  morn- 
ing, and  amount  of  still-hunting. 

All  this  time  he  is  either  tending  toward  the  ground 
where  he  will  lie  down,  or  when  he  finishes  his  loung- 
ing he  starts  for  it.  In  a  previous  chapter,  under 
the  directions  where  to  look  for  deer-tracks,  I  have 
given  the  places  over  which  a  deer  will  be  most  apt  to 
pass  during  his  feeding  and  lounging  time;  though 
there  is  scarce  any  place  over  which  he  may  not  pass. 
In  a  subsequent  chapter  I  will  give  the  kind  of  places 
to  which  he  is  most  apt  to  go  to  lie  down. 

The  length  of  time  deer  will  remain  in  bed  during 
the  day  is  also  impossible  to  determine.  Sometimes 


56  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

they  will  lie  until  four  or  five  o'clock,  and  sometimes 
rise  by  three.  I  here  mean  rise  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
In  very  hot  weather,  if  a  deer  has  a  cool  shady  place 
away  from  flies  and  mosquitoes  he  is  very  apt  to  stay 
there  during  all  the  heat  of  the  day.  And  if  much 
hunted  and  he  finds  good  comfortable  and  safe  cover 
he  is  also  likely  to  stay.  But  in  cool,  cloudy,  or  windy 
weather,  especially  if  little  disturbed,  he  is  quite  apt  to 
be  on  foot  two  or  three  times  during  the  day,  brows- 
ing a  little,  lounging  a  little,  shifting  position  a  little, 
or  merely  getting  up  for  the  sake  of  lying  down  again. 
During  the  dark  of  the  moon,  if  little  hunted  he  is 
apt  to  feed  a  little  during  mid-_day.  In  rainy  or 
snowy  or  cold  blustering  weather  he  is  quite  apt  to  be 
on  foot  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  standing  most  of 
the  time  in  some  brush-patch,  windfall,  or  sheltered 
ravine  or  little  gulch,  with  head  down  like  an  old  cow. 

In  the  afternoon,  if  the  deer  rise  early  he  is  quite 
apt  to  lounge  about  a  while  as  he  did  in  the  morning. 
If  he  rise  late  he  is  quite  apt  to  go  directly  toward  his 
feeding-ground,  though  he  will  doubtless  browse  some 
on  the  way.  He  will  -then  feed  and  lounge  about  in 
much  the  same  way  he  did  in  the  morning  until  dark. 
In  hot  weather,  if  he  is  little  disturbed  he  is  quite  as 
apt  to  go  to  water  between  sundown  and  dark  as  he 
is  to  go  there  in  the  morning. 

For  a  long  while  after  dark  the  deer  is  still  on  foot. 
If  the  moon  be  full  he  may  be  on  foot  most  of  the 
night.  If  he  has  any  mischief  to  do  he  can  find  his 
way  to  it  without  any  moon.  Sometimes  he  will 
lie  down  and  sleep  a  large  part  of  the  night  in  one 
bed.  Sometimes  the  same  deer  will  make  three  or 
four  different  beds  in  one  night.  When  very  much 
persecuted  he  will  do  nearly  all  his  feeding,  watering, 


DAILY  LIFE    OF  DEER   AND   ANTELOPE.      57 

sleeping,  etc.,  during  the  night,  without  regard  to  the 
moon  or  anything  else,  and  spend  the  day  in  close 
concealment. 

These  movements  are  varied  somewhat  in  what  is 
known  as  the  "running  time;"  a  matter  we  will  con- 
sider hereafter. 

How  much  antelope  move  by  night  I  cannot  say. 
But  they  certainly  move  far  more  by  day  than  deer 
do,  and  it  is  therefore  probable  that  they  move  much 
less  at  night,  if  they  move  at  all.  Though  they  lie 
down  during  a  large  part  of  the  day,  they  are  still 
much  longer  on  foot  than  deer  are.  And  generally 
some  of  the  band  are  on  foot  while  the  rest  are  lying 
down.  All  that  I  have  ever  seen  watered  in  the  morn- 
ing from  sunrise  to  nine  or  ten  o'clock.  Their  habits 
may,  however,  vary  in  this  respect  with  places.  They 
are  much  more  apt  to  feed  ahead  on  a  straight  course 
than  deer  are,  and  cover  a  much  greater  area  of 
ground  in  doing  so.  They  go  many  miles  for  water 
if  necessary.  In  fact  in  nearly  all  their  business  they 
travel  a  mile  where  a  deer  goes  two  hundred  yards. 
But  whatever  they  are  doing  they  are  watching, 
watching,  watching;  trusting  more  to  their  great  eyes 
and  less  to  nose  and  ears  than  a  deer  does  to  his. 


58  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  VI, 

LOOKING    FOR    DEER    THAT    ARE    ON    FOOT. 

SINCE  it  is  generally  so  hard  to  catch  sight  of  a  deer 
until  it  is  just  too  late  to  shoot,  and  since  lying  down 
is  a  position  in  which  it  is  generally  next  to  impossible 
to  see  one  at  all,  it  follows  that  far  brighter  prospects 
of  success  lie  on  the  side  of  finding  a  deer  on  foot. 
So  much  is  this  the  case  that  in  many  kinds  of  ground 
it  is  almost  useless  to  try  to  get  a  shot  at  one  in  any 
other  way.  Such  is  the  case  where  deer  are  keeping 
in  heavy  swamps,  canebrake,  tule,  chapparal,  or  other 
stuff  that  is  too  high  and  too  dense  to  afford  a  fair 
shot  at  one  when  running.  There  your  only  chance 
of  success  is  to  find  them  on  foot  along  the  edges,  or 
from  some  piece  of  rising  ground  see  them  moving  or 
standing  in  the  covert.  You  may  in  such  kinds  of 
ground  find  enough  eminences  to  give  you  some  fair 
running  shots  at  deer  started  below  you;  but  such  is 
not  generally  the  case. 

And  now  we  are  about  ready  to  take  the  field.  But 
let  us  first  see  whether  the  day  will  do  for  still-hunt- 
ing. For,  recollect,  there  are  some  days  when  you 
might  almost  as  well  stay  at  home.  Such  are  the 
still,  warm  days  of  autumn,  when  you  can  hear  a 
squirrel  scamper  over  the  dead  leaves  a  hundred 
yards  away; 

"  When  not  a  breath  creeps  through  the  rosy  air, 
And  yet  the  forest  leaves  seem  stirred  with  prayer." 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER    THAT  ARE   ON  FOOT.      59 

Such  are  the  days  when  the  snow  is  crusty  and  stiff 
or  grinds  under  your  feet,  while  the  trees  snap  and 
crack  with  the  frost;  in  short,  all  days  when  you  can- 
not walk  without  making  a  noise  that  a  man  could 
hear  at  forty  or  fifty  yards;  though  even  on  such 
days  it  will  pay  you  to  go  out  and  study  the  move- 
ments of  deer  and  the  "  lay  of  the  land."  And  if  it 
should  be  very  windy,  by  moving  against  the  wind 
you  may  get  a  shot,  though  when  the  trees  are  creak- 
ing and  rattling  with  wind  the  deer  are  often  in  a 
very  nervous  condition  all  day;  but  against  a  strong 
wind  they  cannot  smell  you  and  cannot  hear  you  as 
well  as  usual. 

But  when  the  autumn  rains  have  softened  down 
the  dead  leaves  and  sticks,  or  during  or  just  after  a 
gentle  rain,  or  when  the  ground  is  covered  with  an 
inch  or  more  of  soft  snow,  then  is  the  time,  especially 
if  a  gentle  breeze  sighs  through  the  tree-tops,  when 
your  heart  may  well  bound  high  with  hope. 

We  will  first  consider  hunting  on  bare  ground. 

To  find  a  deer  on  foot  you  had  better  be  in  the 
woods  about  the  time  the  morning  star  begins  to  fade 
in  the  first  smile  of  coming  day.  This  exactness  is 
not  always  necessary.  But  if  deer  are  not  very  plenty, 
or  if  they  have  been  much  hunted,  or  if  the  moon  is 
near  or  past  the  full,  the  earlier  you  are  in  the  woods 
after  it  is  light  enough  to  sec  a  deer  at  all,  the  better. 

Let  us  first  try  the  oak  ridges,  as  these  form  the 
easiest  ground  upon  which  to  take  your  first  lessons. 

The  first  questions  that  arise  are,  from  which  way 
shall  we  approach  the  ridges?  and,  in  which  direction 
shall  we  traverse  them? 

In  determining  these  points,  the  first  thing  in  im- 
portance is  the  wind.  Be  cautious  how  you  decide 


bU  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

that  there  is  no  breeze  yet.  If  you  can  notice  it  in  no 
other  way,  wet  your  finger,  and  holding  it  up  see 
if  you  can  feel  one  side  colder  than  the  other.  This 
test  on  a  cold  morning  in  dry  air  is  quite  delicate, 
the  faintest  movement  of  air  making  the  side  toward 
the  wind  cooler  from  increase  of  evaporation. 

There  being  no  perceptible  wind,  the  next  thing  in 
importance  is  the  elevation  of  ground  and  its  freedom 
from  brush,  etc.  It  is  best  in  hunting  such  ridges 
to  walk  where  you  can  move  with  the  least  noise  and 
can  get  the  best  view  of  all  the  other  ridges  and  the 
intervening  hollows.  We  will  therefore  wind  along 
the  highest  ridges;  they  being  in  most  places  quite 
free  from  brush. 

And  now  we  must  move  with  great  caution.  Avoid, 
when  possible,  walking  through  any  brush  that  your 
clothes  will  touch.  If  you  cannot  help  touching  some 
twigs,  ease  them  off  with  your  hand  so  that  they  do 
not  scrape  on  your  clothes,  snap,  or  make  a  switching 
noise  in  flying  back.  Above  all  beware  of  treading 
upon  dead  or  dried  sticks  or  piles  of  dead  leaves,  and 
feel  the  ground  cautiously  with  each  foot  before  you 
rest  your  whole  weight  upon  it. 

But  none  of  this  care  must  take  off  any  of  the  atten- 
tion of  your  eyes.  For  these  must  all  the  time  be 
sweeping  the  whole  ground  as  far  ahead  as  you  can 
see  and  covering  the  whole  arc  of  a  semicircle  in 
range.  Do  not  look  as  a  child  or  woman  does — at 
only  one  thing  at  a  time — but  let  your  gaze  be  com- 
prehensive as  well  as  keen,  taking  in  at  one  view  the 
near  and  the  distant,  the  front  and  the  sides  of  your 
field  of  vision. 

At  the  same  time  beware  of  going  too  slowly.  To 
traverse  sufficient  ground  is  quite  as  important  in  the 


This  man  is  going  too  fast  to  see  well,  so  that  the  deer  has  his 
advantage,  of  being  at  rest  while  the  other  party  is  moving, 
greatly  increased. 


LOOKING  FOR   DEER    THAT  ARE   ON  FOOT,      61 

long-run  as  anything  else  in  still-hunting.  You  must 
rid  your  mind  at  once  of  the  besetting  sin  of  the  tyro 
— the  idea  that  nearly  every  bush  contains  a  deer. 
It  is  true  that  a  deer  may  be  in  any  bush.  And  you 
must  hunt  and  look  upon  that  assumption.  But  it  is 
equally  true  and  often  equally  probable  that  there  is 
not  one  within  quarter  of  a  mile  of  you.  And  the  speed 
of  your  movements  must  be  often  based  upon  that 
assumption.  Between  these  two  conflicting  principles 
you  must  learn  to  make  a  happy  compromise;  yield- 
ing sometimes  almost  entirely  to  one,  sometimes 
almost  entirely  to  the  other;  sometimes  taking  the 
golden  mean  between  the  two. 

Here  we  are  on  the  ridges  at  last.  And  you  at  once 
see  signs  of  deer  about  you.  Here,  there,  and  every- 
where are  places  where  sharp-toed  hoofs  have  pressed 
down  the  dead  leaves.  In  some  places  they  have  cut 
through  the  leaves.  In  some  places  they  have  pressed 
a  damp  leaf  into  the  ground  so  that  it  forms  a  lining 
to  the  track.  Pick  up  a  few  of  the  dry  leaves  and  see 
if  any  of  those  lying  next  the  damp  ones  below  are 
moistened  any  on  the  under  side.  Here  is  one  with  a 
distinct  trace  of  dampness  where  it  has  been  pressed 
against  a  wet  one  below.  The  leaf  has  had  no  time 
to  dry  since  it  was  done.  Here,  too,  close  beside  it 
are  droppings  that  have  had  no  time  to  dry  (or  freeze, 
if  it  be  cold  weather).  Put  your  fingers  in  several  of 
these  footprints  and  see  if  they  are  not  of  different 
sizes.  Observe  the  size  also  of  the  droppings.  Let 
nothing  escape  you  that  will  indicate  the  number  of 
the  deer,  so  that  you  do  not  mistake  the  work  of  one 
for  that  of  half  a  dozen.  Here  is  a  bit  of  ground  that 
is  quite  bare.  And  upon  it  are  plainly  visible  three 
different-sized  tracks.  One  is  that  of  a  big  buck 


62  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

The  others  are  tracks  of  a  doe  and  fawn.  The  edges 
of  the  tracks  and  the  bottom  of  the  depressions  are 
clear-cut,  smooth,  and  fresh-looking,  in  that  appear- 
ance so  impossible  to  describe.  A  little  more  inspec- 
tion shows  that  the  droppings,  too,  all  vary  in  size. 

Look  carefully  now  all  around  as  far  as  you  can  see. 
But  do  not  look  for  a  deer.  Remember  this  singular 
advice.  Do  not  forget  it  for  a  moment.  One  of  the 
greatest  troubles  that  besets  the  beginner  is  looking 
all  the  timeyW-  a  deer.  If  the  artist's  deer  is  in  sight 
you  will  see  him  quickly  enough.  Never  mind  that 
beast  at  all.  Spend  all  your  time  in  looking  for  spots 
'&i\(\  patches  of  light  gray,  dark  gray,  brown,  or  even 
black.  Examine  all  you  can  see  from  only  the  size  of 
your  hand  to  the  size  of  a  small  goat.  Never  mind 
the  shape  of  them.  Examine,  too,  everything  that 
looks  like  the  thick  part  of  a  thicket,  and  every  blur 
or  indistinct  outline  in  a  brush.  No  matter  how 
much  it  may  look  like  a  bit  of  stump,  fallen  log,  shade, 
or  tangle  of  brush,  or  how  little  it  may  in  shape  re- 
semble a  deer;  if  it  is  in  brush,  or  anywhere  where  you 
cannot  see  clearly  what  it  is,  give  it  a  second,  even  a 
third,  look.  Look  low,  too,  very  low,  along  the  ground. 
And  be  very  careful  how  you  run  your  eye  over  a  bit 
of  brush,  deciding  that  it  is  too  low  for  a  deer  to  be  in 
without  your  seeing  him.  Not  only  does  a  deer  in  the 
woods  generally  look  entirely  unlike  the  deer  that 
stands  in  Imagination's  park,  but  it  does  not  stand  half 
so  high  in  the  woods  as  it  does  in  that  park.  When  un- 
suspicious, a  deer  often  has  his  head  down,  and  this, 
too,  makes  him  still  lower.  You  need  not  be  looking 
at  this  time  of  day  for  a  deer  lying  down,  but  look 
/'/>/  as  A',v  along  the  ground  as  if  you  were  looking 
for  one  lviir_r  down. 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER    THAT  AKR    OJV  FOOT.      63 

There  are  numerous  such  spots,  patches,  and  blurs 
in  view.  But  under  a  keen  scrutiny  they  all  fade  into 
stumps,  pieces  of  log,  etc.,  and  you  an  satisfied  that 
there  is  nothing  in  sight. 

Before  going  on,  now,  stop  a  moment  and  take  a 
very  important  lesson.  You  see  that  the  ground  in 
every  direction  is  dented  with  tracks.  There  is  scarcely 
a  square  foot  anywhere  without  two  or  three  or  half 
a  dozen  prints  in  it.  You  see,  too,  droppings  in  every 
direction.  Now  nearly  every  tyro,  and  n  great  many 
who  have  hunted  enough  to  know  better,  will  think 
at  once  of  not  less  than  forty  deer.  They  will  not 
so  express  it  in  words.  And  if  asked  directly  how 
many  they  thought  had  made  all  these  tracks,  they 
would  doubtless  tone  it  down  to  eighteen  or  twenty. 
But  the  latent  idea  that  re  nains  in  their  mind  is  of 
about  forty  deer. 

Now  all  these  tracks  and  dropping  we.re  probably 
made  by  only  three  deer.  There  may  have  been  five  or 
six;  perhaps  another  doe  and  fawn  or  two  fawns.  Or 
perhaps  another  old  buck  and  a  yearling  or  two-year- 
old  buck.  But  if  you  examine  the  age  and  size  of 
the  tracks  and  droppings,  you  will  see  how  three  deer 
visiting  this  ground  every  day  could  in  two  or  three 
weeks  make  all  this  amount  of  indications.  You  can- 
not say  positively  that  they  alone  did  it.  But  they 
could  have  done  it.  And  the  probability  is  that  they 
did.  You  cannot  see  the  proof  of  this  now.  For  that 
you  must  wait  until  snow  comes  or  until  you  can  get 
on  bare  ground  where  you  can  track  well  and  can  see 
just  how  a  few  deer  can  mark  ground.  Until  then 
take  my  word  for  it.  For  a  proper  idea  of  how  many 
deer  there  are  about  you  will  save  you  a  large  amount 
of  wondering,  disappointment,  and  vexation,  as  well 


64  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

as  help  you  direct  your  steps  to  the  most  proper  places 
to  search  for  what  they  are.  Few  things  so  perplex 
the  beginner  and  make  him  go  wandering  so  aimlessly 
about  the  woods,  expecting  to  see  deer  every  minute 
yet  ever  fretting  with  disappointment,  as  exaggerated 
notions  of  the  quantity  of  deer  around  him. 

Here  you  see  where  the  buck  has  gone  down  the 
side  of  the  ridge  we  are  on  and  across  the  flat  below. 
He  has  doubtless  crossed  the  next  ridge.  Although 
it  is  generally  not  worth  while  to  track  an  old  buck 
at  this  time  of  year,  especially  when  the  ground  is 
bare — a  thing  almost  impossible  where  tracks  are  so 
numerous  as  they  are  here — yet  at  this  time  of  the 
morning  fresh  tracks  are  an  excellent  guide,  and  it  is 
often  best  to  take  a  look  in  the  direction  in  which 
they  have  gone.  Remember  what  I  told  you  about 
the  quantity  of  deer.  You  will  see  the  expediency  of 
doing  this  instead  of  roaming  idly  off  in  any  direction. 

In  moving  across  this  flat  between  this  and  the  next 
ridge  you  may  now  go  quite  fast.  But  be  still  cau- 
tious about  noise.  And  above  all  things  tread  on  no 
dead  sticks. 

Here,  you  see,  is  the  track  again  where  the  buck 
has  gone  up  the  next  ridge.  But  it  turns  off  and  goes 
toward  the  neck  of  land  that  joins  this  ridge  to  the 
one  we  just  left.  No  matter,  though  ;  he  may  have 
turned  again.  Now  look  over  the  ridge  just  as  keenly 
as  if  you  knew  he  were  in  the  next  hollow. 

Slowly  now  !  very  slowly  !  For  your  head  is  about 
to  rise  over  the  crest  of  the  ridge  and  come  in  plain 
sight  of  everything  on  the  next  ridge  beyond  and  in 
the  hollow  between.  Drop  your  gun,  too,  from  your 
shoulder. 

Here    are    two    important    points,    the    neglect    of 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER    THAT  ARE    ON  FOOT.      65 

which  causes  even  quite  good  hunters  to  lose  many  a 
deer.  Many  a  one  brings  half  his  body  into  view  at 
once  before  he  fairly  begins  to  look.  Then  his  gun 
remains  on  his  shoulder,  flashing  in  the  sun  perhaps, 
swinging  as  he  turns  his  body  to  look  from  right  to 
left,  always  making  an  unnecessary  amount  of  plainly 
visible  motion  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  lower  it  to 
shoot.  You  remember  what  I  told  you  about  the 
quickness  of  a  deer's  eye  to  catch  a  motion.  Should 
you  happen  to  bring  your  head  in  view  of  the  deer  at 
the  time  when  he  happens  to  have  his  head  up  and  be 
watching — which  is  at  least  one  half  and  often  two 
thirds  of  his  time  when  on  foot — he  is  almost  certain 
to  see  you  unless  you  raise  your  head  as  little  as  pos- 
sible and  do  it  very  slowly.  This  is  extremely  im- 
portant in  antelope-stalking ;  but  its  importance  in 
deer-hunting,  even  in  heavy  timber,  must  never  be 
underrated.  Therefore  make  this  a  habit,  so  that  you 
come  to  do  it  unconsciously — to  drop  your  gun  al- 
ways in  going  up  the  crest  of  a  ridge;  to  show  no  more 
of  your  head  than  is  absolutely  necessary;  to  inspect 
the  ground  beyond,  layer  by  layer,  beginning  with  the 
farthest  ground  on  the  ridge  beyond  and  running 
gradually  down  into  the  hollow.  An  exception  to  this 
would  be  when  you  know  the  game  is  in  the  hollow, 
when  you  know  it  to  be  alarmed  or  moving,  or  when 
your  scent  can  blow  over  the  ridge  into  the  hollow. 
In  such  case  it  may  be  best  to  get  on  your  hands  and 
knees  to  look  over  instead  of  showing  your  whole 
body  to  anything  that  may  be  on  the  slopes  beyond. 
And  you  never  need  your  gun  on  your  shoulder  at 
such  times.  Cultivate  this  habit  at  once.  It  will  cost 
you  a  minute  or  two  of  time  only,  requires  no  extra 
work,  and  will  secure  you  many  a  good  standing  shot 


66  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

where  you  would  otherwise  get  only  a  wild  running 
one  or  too  long  a  standing  one. 

A  long  and  careful  look  over  the  ground  beyond 
shows  you  no  game.  You  however  notice  plenty  of 
tracks  on  this  ridge  also.  And  careful  examination 
will  show  you  that  they  were  made  by  the  very  same 
deer  that  tracked  up  the  last  ridge. 

Here,  too,  are  three  or  four  smooth,  oval  depres- 
sions in  the  ground  about  two  or  two  and  a  half  feet 
long  and  about  half  as  wide.  The  leaves  in  them  are 
pressed  down  nice  and  flat,  and  there  are  some  quite 
fresh  tracks  in  them  made  after  the  occupant  rose.  I 
need  hardly  tell  you  that  they  are  beds;  but  I  do  need 
to  tell  you  that  they  are  night  beds.  Therefore  you 
need  not  expect  to  see  a  deer  lying  at  the  foot  of  the 
next  tree  or  under  the  next  bush. 

The  distinction  between  beds  made  by  deer  at  night 
and  those  made  by  them  during  the  day  is  important, 
and  one  almost  certain  to  be  overlooked  by  the  unas- 
sisted beginner.  And  it  is  almost  certain  to  make 
him  waste  much  time  and  temper  in  searching  for 
deer  on  ground  where  they  lie  only  at  night,  while 
they  are  lying  down  perhaps  a  mile  away.  This  sub- 
ject properly  belongs  to  another  chapter,  but  I  call 
your  attention  to  it  now  that  you  may  lose  no  time 
with  these  beds.  The  distinction  is  this.  Deer  will  at 
night  lie  down  almost  anywhere;  but  if  disturbed  by 
hunting  or  otherwise  they  will  hardly  ever  lie  down 
by  day  on  or  near  their  feeding-ground,  or  near  their 
watering-place,  or  on  any  ground  except  such  as,  in  a 
subsequent  chapter,  I  shall  describe  as  ''  lying-down 
ground." 

•    Instead  of  crossing  this  ridge  and  going  to  the  next 
one,  keep   along   the   side  you    are   now   on.   but    just 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER    THAT  ARE   ON  FOOT.       G7 

enough  below  the  crest  to  see  over  and  along  the  top 
of  the  ridge.  Follow  it  along  in  this  way  until  you 
reach  the  neck  of  land  that  connects  this  ridge  with 
the  one  you  were  last  on.  Then  peep  as  cautiously 
over  this  as  you  did  over  the  last  ridge. 

You  see  several  new  ridges  leading  away  in  various 
directions,  with  nice  little  hollows  between  them  con- 
taining charming  places  for  a  deer  to  stand  in  or  feed 
in.  But  you  see  nothing  resembling  a  deer.  Pass  on, 
then,  along  the  main  backbone  of  the  ridges,  and  keep 
a  keen  watch  from  side  to  side,  being  careful  about 
showing  too  much  of  yourself  or  showing  even  the 
upper  half  of  your  head  too  quickly  to  anything  that 
might  be  in  any  of  the  hollows;  and  examine  the  tops 
and  sides  of  every  ridge  as  carefully  as  you  can. 

Here,  you  see,  are  some  more  beds;  and  the  tracks 
in  two  of  them  are  of  different  size  from  those  we  saw 
before,  which  shows  that  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
there  have  been  since  last  evening  at  least  five,  prob- 
ably six  and  perhaps  seven,  different  deer.  These, 
too,  are  only  night-beds,  and  the  occupants  may  now 
be  half  a  mile  or  more  away.  But  as  it  is  not  yet 
time  to  lie  down,  they  may  be  only  a  hundred  yards 
away.  And  now  you  may  walk  still  more  slowly,  for 
the  chances  of  being  near  a  deer  are  increasing.  Of 
course  the  more  plenty  deer  are,  the  more  carefully 
you  must  move. 

But  see  here!  What  is  this?  Down  the  sloping 
side  of  a  ridge  the  ground  is  torn  up  and  the  fresh 
dirt  and  leaves  thrown  about.  There  are  four  such 
places  nearly  together.  In  some  of  them  there  are 
plain  marks  of  two  long  split-hoofs  and  two  prints  of 
dew-claws  just  back  of  them.  Here  is  another  set  of 
such  marks  fifteen  feet  farther  on,  and  again  about 


68  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

twelve  feet  beyond  these  last.  The  dirt  thrown  out  is 
dark,  soft,  and  damp.  The  bottom  of  the  torn-up 
place  is  in  some  spots  clean,  smooth,  and  even  shiny 
You  need  not  be  told  what  mean  these  long  plunging 
jumps  of  sharp-edged  hoofs.  But  to  take  a  good  les- 
son, follow  the  track  back  a  few  jumps. 

It  leads  back  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  stops  at  a 
small  clump  of  bushes  about  waist-high.  Here,  you 
see,  are  some  fresh  tracks  and  droppings  of  a  pretty 
large  deer.  Here,  too,  are  the  ends  of  many  twigs  all 
freshly  bitten  off.  Mark,  too,  the  direction  of  the 
tracks  the  biter  made  as  he  stood  here  browsing. 
You  find  that  they  point  toward  where  you  were  a 
minute  or  two  ago.  "It  could  not  have  been  pos- 
sible," do  you  think  ?  It  does  indeed  seem  strange 
that  a  deer  could  have  been  standing  in  brush  so  low 
and  thin  as  this  and  you  not  see  him.  But  that  he 
should  run  away  in  full  bounding  career  without  your 
seeing  or  hearing  him  does  seem  incredible. 

Now  put  a  piece  of  paper  on  these  freshly  bitten 
twigs  and  then  take  your  track  back  to  the  place 
where  you  first  come  in  sight  of  the  paper. 

Following  your  track  back  some  sixty  yards  along 
the  ridge,  we  reach  a  point  where  the  paper  first  be- 
comes visible.  And  behold  !  you  can  almost  see 
through  all  that  brush,  and  it  appears  not  over  two 
feet  high  ! 

Now  mark  well  your  error,  and  never  forget  it.  It 
is  not  at  all  likely  that  he  either  heard  or  smelt  you, 
for  you  were  going  with  extreme  caution,  and  a  gentle 
breeze  was  rising  and  was  in  your  face.  But  you 
passed  your  eye  too  carelessly  over  that  brush  just 
because  it  was  so  low  and  thin.  You  thought  of  course 
you  could  see  everything  there.  You  were  hunting 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER    THAT  ARE   ON  FOOT.      69 

in  Fancy's  park  again  and  forgot  that  you  were  in  the 
woods ;  and  when  you  raised  your  head  more  and 
were  looking  around  to  the  right  he  saw  you,  and 
two  jumps  took  him  out  of  sight.  Remember  again 
what  I  told  you,  that  a  deer  is  not  six  feet  high  in  the 
woods,  and  does  not  spend  his  time  in  posing  for  a 
sculptor  or  artist. 

It  will  be  quite  useless  now  to  go  in  the  direction 
in  which  he  ran  ;  for  not  only  do  you  stand  little 
chance  of  seeing  him,  but  he  will  probably  stampede 
all  deer  along  his  course. 

You  now  wander  along  for  nearly  half  a  mile,  seeing 
plenty  of  fresh  signs  of  deer,  enough,  combined  with 
what  you  have  already  seen,  to  justify  the  conclusion 
that  at  least  fifteen  deer  have  fed  on  these  ridges  this 
morning;  and  that  is  quite  plenty  enough  to  satisfy 
any  reasonable  being.  You  begin  to  feel  a  strong 
hope  that  you  will  soon  see  something. 

You  do  see  something,  but  it  is  another  set  of  long, 
plunging  jumps.  Follow  them  back  and  see  how  you 
lost  the  deer.  As  long  as  you  hunt,  no  matter  how 
old  you  may  grow  in  experience,  make  it  your  custom 
whenever  you  lose  a  deer  to  study  how  you  lost  him. 
This  may  occupy  a  little  time  at  first,  but  in  the  end 
it  will  well  repay  you. 

Following  the  jumps  back,  you  find  that  the  deer 
was  standing  on  the  clear  open  top  of  the  ridge  when 
he  started.  The  direction  of  the  wind  shows  that  he 
did  not  smell  you;  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  he  heard 
you,  for  you  were  moving  very  quietly  and  were  also 
down  the  wind  from  him,  just  as  in  the  other  case; 
and  a  glance  back  at  the  ground  over  which  you  came 
shows  that  you  could  have  seen  him  at  least  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  off. 


70  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

To  one  having  much  pride  in  his  acuteness  of  sight 
this  would  seem  good  proof  that  some  other  cause  or 
thing  had  startled  the  deer.  But  you  had  better  lay 
aside  all  your  pride,  and  remember  that  this  fact  may 
also  prove  that  a  deer  in  the  woods  can  see  you  and 
run  away  without  your  ever  seeing  him  run.  And 
this  can  happen  in  woods  and  on  ridges  much  more 
open  than  these  are.  You  probably  passed  your  eye 
directly  over  a  small,  dim,  dark-grayish  spot  far  away 
among  the  tree-trunks  without  a  suspicion  of  what  it 
was;  and  as  your  eye  wandered  on  around  the  circle 
of  vision  you  never  noticed  its  disappearance.  Your 
trouble  is  that  you  cannot  yet  comprehend  in  the  con- 
crete what  you  already  are  beginning  to  realize  in 
the  abstract — the  difficulty  of  recognizing  your  game 
under  the  circumstances  under  which  you  are  most 
likely  to  meet  it.  Your  scrutiny  of  the  woods  is  as 
yet  entirely  too  general,  and  is  not  one  half  as  keen  as 
you  flatter  yourself  it  is. 

You  now  pass  over  nearly  half  a  mile,  when  sud- 
denly you  see  a  grand  old  buck  standing  in  a  thicket 
a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  away.  There  he  stands  in 
all  the  majesty  of  the  buck  on  the  powder-flask,  with 
his  big  antlers,  big  neck,  big  body,  and  all. 

No;  do  not  shoot  from  here.  He  suspects  nothing, 
and  will  stand  there  a  few  minutes.  You  can  easily 
get  close  enough  for  a  sure  shot.  Back  off  from  this 
ridge  and  work  around  its  point.  That  will  bring 
you  to  that  large  fallen  log  that  lies  within  seventy- 
five  yards  of  him. 

With  chattering  teeth,  quaking  heart,  and  crawling 
hair  you  finally  reach  the  fallen  tree.  Taking  a  cau- 
tious look,  you  see  nothing ;  a  still  more  keen  and 
cautious  look  reveals  only  a  greater  intensity  of  noth- 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER    THAT  ARE    OiV  FOOT.       71 

ing.  After  more  looking  and  carefully  advancing 
you  reach  the  place  where  he  was.  But  there  is  noth- 
ing there,  and  there  are  no  fresh  tracks,  signs,  or  jumps 
to  show  that  a  deer  has  been  there  within  two  days. 
You  lean  against  a  huge  piece  of  fallen  white-oak  that 
has  lodged  in  some  brush  among  some  upturned  roots 
and  of  charred  trunks  of  fallen  pine,  and  wonder  where 
your  deer  is. 

Well,  go  back  to  the  ridge  and  look  at  the  log 
against  which  you  are  leaning,  and  take  a  lesson  quite 
as  important  as  any  you  could  possibly  take  to-day; 
namely,  how  a  deer  does  not  look  in  the  woods.  At  that 
distance  and  among  that  kind  of  stuff  a  deer  would 
not  be  one  third  as  large  or  distinct  as  what  you  saw; 
and  if  he  were  standing  there  motionless  it  would  take 
the  very  keenest  of  eyes  to  detect  him. 

The  sun  is  now  getting  so  high  that  most  of  the 
deer  have  probably  left  the  ridges  and  gone  off  to  lie 
down;  and  we  will  leave  them  for  another  time.  But 
be  not  discouraged  in  the  least  by  the  faci;  that  you 
have  seen  no  deer.  You  have  learned  far  more  than 
if  you  had  shot  one.  For  if  you  had  killed  one  you 
would  probably  have  sat  for  a  week  beneath  a  cata- 
ract of  joy  and  conceit,  perfectly  blind  to  all  one  could 
tell  you.  Few  things  are  so  fatal  to  ultimate  success 
as  an  early  germination  of  the  idea  that  you  are  "a 
pretty  smart  chap  on  deer."  It  is  almost  as  ruinous 
as  the  idea  that  you  are  a  poet.  The  teachers  you 
need  are  disappointment  and  humiliation.  If  these 
cure  you  of  still-hunting,  it  is  well;  for  it  proves  you 
were  not  born  for  that,  and  the  sooner  you  quit  it  the 
better.  But  if  there  is  any  of  the  true  spirit  in  you, 
defeat  will  only  inspire  you.  You  will  learn  more 
from  your  failures  than  many  do  from  success,  and 


72  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

they  will  arouse  you  to  double  care,  double  energy, 
double  keenness,  and  double  hope. 

The  analysis  of  error  is  a  far  better  source  of  in- 
struction than  the  analysis  of  truth.  For  this  reason 
we  will  at  first  study  failures  more  than  successes. 
And  this  will  be  rendered  all  the  more  easy  by  the 
fact  that  at  first  you  will  probably  have  little  besides 
error  to  study. 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER  LYING  DOWN. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

LOOKING    FOR    DEER    LYING    DOWN. 

HAVING  failed  to  see  deer  on  foot  during  their  feed- 
ing or  lounging  time  of  the  morning,  the  next  best 
thing  is  to  seek  them  where  they  have  gone  to  lie 
down  during  the  main  part  of  the  day.  It  is  some- 
times more  easy  to  find  them  in  this  way  than  when 
they  are  on  foot,  though  it  is  generally  harder.  It  is 
generally  so  very  difficult  to  see  one  in  bed  at  all  that 
you  are  mainly  confined  in  this  kind  of  hunting  to 
what  is  known  as  "jumping  a  deer;"  that  is,  starting 
him  from  his  bed,  and  firing  at  him  as  he  bounds  away 
or  waiting  until  he  stops  to  look  back  a  moment,  as 
deer  generally  do  if  little  disturbed. 

From  the  loose  talk  among  hunters  and  the  care- 
less pens  of  writers  about  "jumping"  deer  the  begin- 
ner is  very  apt  to  fancy  it  something  like  kicking  up 
a  hare  from  its  form  and  rolling  it  over  with  a  charge 
of  shot  as  it  scuds  away.  He  is  very  apt  to  go  march- 
ing confidently  about  expecting  to  see  a  deer  hop  out 
of  any  bush  within  twenty  or  thirty  yards.  This  will 
occasionally  happen,  especially  if  the  wind  be  right 
and  the  ground  soft  enough  for  silent  walking.  But 
three  times  out  of  four  "jumping"  a  deer  is  what  you 
shall  soon  see  for  yourself. 

When  entirely  undisturbed  by  man  deer  will  lie 
down  in  the  daytime  as  they  do  at  night — almost  any- 


74  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

where.     But  even  then  they  show  a  decided  prefer- 
ence for  the  following  kinds  of  ground: 

1.  The   points   and    backs    of    ridges,   especially  if 
brushy. 

2.  The  brushy  heads  of  little  ravines  and  hollows. 

3.  Windfalls   and    choppings,   especially  when    old 
and  brushy. 

4.  Thin  thickets  containing  fallen  logs  or  trees. 

5.  Heavy  thickets  without  fallen  logs  or  trees. 

6.  Patches  of  heavy  fern  or  willow  in  little  valleys. 

7.  Little  plateaus,  knobs,  or  terraces  on  hill-sides. 
In  open   country  in  addition   to   the  above-named 

places,  if  there  are  any,  they  will  take — 

8.  The  long  grass  or  heavy  weeds   of   sloughs  or 
swales. 

9.  The  brushy  edges  and  center  of  patches  of  scrub 
timber. 

10.  Hill-sides  with  scattered  trees  or  bushes. 

11.  The  bottoms  of  canons,  gullies,  and  shady  ra- 
vines, with  the  side  pockets,  etc.,  connected  with  them. 

12.  Brushy  basins  and  the  brushy  bottoms  of  creeks 
and  rivers. 

13.  The  shade  of  big  rocks,  etc. 

14.  Bare  ground  under  a  tree  on   a  hill-side,  ridge, 
or  in  a  valley,  lying  there  just  as  cattle  do. 

There  are  many  other  places  in  which  they  spend 
the  day,  such  as  swamps,  heavy  chapparal,  etc.  But 
in  all  such  places  it  is  not  worth  while  to  hunt  at  all 
in  this  way. 

If  little  disturbed  they  will  not  generally  go  far 
from  their  feeding-ground  or  watering-place  to  lie 
down.  I  have,  however,  known  deer  that  scarcely 
ever  saw  or  heard  a  man  go  as  far  back  as  three  miles 
and  as  high  up  as  five  thousand  feet  from  their  feed- 


LOOKING  FOR   DEER  LYING  DOWN.  76 

ing  and  watering  place.  It  is  only  in  very  high  and 
quite  dry  mountains  that  they  are  likely  to  do  this, 
though  flies,  heat,  and  other  causes  may  make  them 
sometimes  go  far  back  anywhere. 

Much  hunting  is,  however,  almost  sure  to  drive 
them  farther  back,  to  make  them  take  the  thickest 
brush  and  the  highest  ground.  And  in  mountainous 
country  it  is  quite  certain  to  drive  them  to  higher 
ground,  from  which  they  will  descend  only  at  night. 
And  there  is  then  little  ground  too  high  or  too  rough 
for  them.  They  are  apt,  too,  to  go  farther  back 
about  the  full  of  the  moon,  though  I  find  the  moon 
makes  little  practical  difference  about  the  distance 
deer  go  back.  It  affects  more  the  time  of  going. 

In  winter  deer  are  quite  certain  to  lie  in  the  sun. 
In  summer  they  are  quite  as  certain  to  lie  in  shade. 
In  autumn  they  often  do  both,  lying  in  the  sun  dur- 
ing the  cool  part  of  the  morning  (though  they  are 
then  more  apt  to  stand  in  the  sun),  and  changing  to 
the  shade  when  it  becomes  warm.  They  seldom  lie 
down  where  they  will  be  disturbed  with  noises  that 
make  them  get  up  often  and  look,  such  as  wagons, 
cattle,  etc.  Yet  they  care  nothing  for  the  plain  noise 
of  people  if  it  be  distant. 

Just  when  and  where  a  deei  may  be  expected  to  lie 
down  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  say.  Like  many 
other  kinds  of  game,  they  are  provokingly  irregular 
in  their  habits,  and  do  not  appreci£ite  your  kindness 
in  picking  out  nice  lying-places  for  them,  but  prefer 
to  make  their  own  selection.  If  you  cannot  track, 
you  can  only  travel  on,  on,  on  over  such  ground  as  is 
above  described  and  have  patience  until  something 
starts. 

The  same  caution  that  was  needful  before  must  be 


76       .  *     THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

still  observed.  In  regard  to  noise  from  your  feet  you 
must  be  even  more  cautious  than  when  looking  for 
deer  on  foot;  since  they  will  hear  noise  from  your 
feet  more  readily  when  lying  with  head  near  the 
ground  than  when  standing. 

Though  a  deer  cannot  smell  or  see  you  quite  so 
readily  when  lying  down  as  when  on  foot,  he  can  still 
do  either  quickly  enough.  A  deer  lies  generally  with 
head  up  and  sometimes  with  it  laid  over  on  one  side; 
but  in  either  case  is  nearly  always  listening  and 
watching.  Occasionally  a  deer  falls  in  the  daytime 
into  a  light  doze,  and  once  in  a  while  you  may  thus 
get  very  close  to  one  before  he  springs.  In  such  case 
he  is  very  apt  to  stop  after  a  jump  or  two.  But  the 
times  when  a  deer  thus  loses  himself  in  the  daytime 
are  very  rare,  and  nearly  all  his  sleeping  is  done  at 
night.  And  even  if  he  were  sound  asleep  in  the  day- 
time, it  would  not  allow  of  any  carelessness  in  ap- 
proaching him.  His  senses  are  not  to  be  trifled  with 
under  any  circumstances.  So  that  the  question  of  a 
deer's  sleeping  by  day  is  of  no  practical  importance. 

Sometimes  a  deer  will  purposely  lie  still  when  he 
hears  a  person.  This  kind  of  lying  close  will  rarely 
or  never  trouble  you  on  the  kind  of  ground  we  are 
now  considering.  All  your  trouble  will  be  the  other 
way. 

Sometimes  it  is  quite  easy  to  see  a  deer  while  in  bed; 
as  where  they  are  in  open  timber  or  open  bluffy  country 
with  little  heavy  brush,  but  with  snow  on  the  ground 
and  the  country  rolling  enough  to  allow  you  to  get 
well  above  them  so  as  to  look  down  upon  them.  At 
such  times  every  dark-looking  oval  spot,  no  matter 
how  much  it  may  resemble  a  stump,  requires  close 
inspection.  Where  they  are  lying  under  trees  on  open 


Leaving   an   Empty    Bed. 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER  LYING  DOWN.  77 

ridges,  along  hill-sides,  or  in  valleys,  it  is  also  quite 
easy  to  see  them;  as  in  much  of  the  ground  that  deer 
frequent  in  California  and  countries  ot  similar  moun- 
tain formation,  before  they  are  hunted  too  much.  But 
in  the  Eastern  States  a  deer  will  now  be  rarely  or 
never  found  lying  by  day  in  such  a  place. 

You  must  be  careful,  therefore,  how  you  waste  much 
time  in  trying  to  see  deer  in  bed.  Where  the  ground 
is  very  rocky,  brushy,  or  covered  with  windfalls,  if 
there  is  no  snow,  or  even  if  there  is  snow  unless  the 
ground  is  quite  rolling,  it  will  not  be  worth  while  to 
try  to  see  them  so.  In  such  case  your  object  should 
generally  be  to  get  over  the  greatest  amount  of  ground 
with  the  least  noise,  depending  entirely  upon  starting 
one  close  enough  for  a  shot.  And  even  on  ground 
where  deer  can  be  seen  you  must  strain  your  eyes  to 
the  utmost,  for  it  is  even  then  no  very  easy  matter  to 
see  one  in  bed. 

Very  rarely  does  a  deer  lie  twice  in  the  same  bed. 
A  fat  old  buck  late  in  summer  or  in  early  fall,  before 
he  begins  to  roam  much,  will  sometimes  do  it.  Any 
deer  may  sometimes  lie  for  several  days  on  a  piece  of 
a  few  acres,  though  roaming  a  mile  or  more  away  from 
it  at  night.  Fawns  and  does,  as  well  as  barren  does 
and  yearlings,  will  sometimes  lie  twice  in  the  same 
bush  and  even  in  the  very  same  bed  of  the  day  before 
or  beside  it.  But  the  rule  is  very  decidedly  the  other 
way.  Though  deer  often  keep  for  years  in  the  same 
orbit  of  a  mile  or  so  in  diameter,  they  change  their 
special  whereabouts  so  often  that  as  a  rule  it  will 
never  be  worth  while  to  hunt  around  old  beds;  and 
when  you  have  started  a  deer  from  a  particular  bed 
you  need  not,  as  a  rule,  expect  to  find  him  either  there 


78  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

or  very  near  by  it  for  two  or  three  or  four  days  and 
often  more. 

One  of  the  most  natural  blunders  a  beginner  will 
make  is  to  spend  the  middle  of  the  day  hunting  around 
the  oak  ridges  or  wherever  he  sees  the  most  tracks, 
when  in  fact  most  of  the  deer  are  half  a  mile  or  a  mile 
away.  I  have  already  noticed  the  distinction  between 
night-beds  and  day-beds,  and  between  ground  where 
deer  feed  and  where  they  go  to  lie  down.  You  must 
bear  this  ever  in  mind  or  you  may  lose  much  time  in 
hunting  where  your  game  was  two  or  three  hours  or 
more  ago  and  a  half-mile  or  more  from  where  it  now  is. 

Let  us  therefore  leave  the  ridges,  as  it  is  ten  o'clock 
and  the  majority  of  the  deer  are  now  lying  down.  Half 
a  mile  to  the  north  are  some  very  brushy  ridges  and 
windfalls,  and  just  beyond  them  is  a  large  piece  of 
ground  from  which  the  pine  has  been  cut  out.  This 
is  known  to  the  woodsmen  and  hunters  as  a  "slash" 
or  "chopping."  A  pine  "slash"  is  about  as  rough  a 
piece  of  ground  as  is  possibly  consistent  with  still- 
hunting.  It  is  covered  in  all  directions  with  tree-tops, 
logs  too  small  or  too  broken  by  falling  to  make  good 
lumber,  small  brush  and  trees  crushed  by  the  larger 
ones,  stumps  and  branches  of  all  sizes,  and  the  whole 
is  well  covered  with  briers,  saplings,  and  brush.  But 
there  is  no  other  ground  that  the  deer  so  loves  to  lie 
down  in  during  the  cool  bright  days  of  autumn  and 
the  sunny  days  of  winter. 

Here  is  a  large  windfall  just  ahead.  It  will  bear  in- 
spection. Mounting  one  of  the  huge  fallen  trunks  on 
the  outside,  we  see  nothing  but  great  shafts  of  timber 
lying  headlong  in  ruinous  confusion,  mixed  through- 
out with  great  upturned  roots,  crushed  tops,  and  shat- 
tered limbs,  and  throughout  all  a  rank  growth  of 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER  LYING  DOWN.  79 

briers  and  young  brush.  But  wherever  we  see  the 
bare  ground  distinctly  there  are  signs  of  deer.  See 
that  smooth  oval  depression  in  the  ground  on  the 
sunny  side  of  those  great  upturned  roots  of  a  pine. 
A  deer  lay  there  yesterday;  and  if  he  has  not  been  dis- 
turbed it  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  he  is  here  now. 

Hark!  Did  your  ear  catch  that  faint  crack  of  brush 
about  a  hundred  yards  off?  No.  Yet  dull  and  un- 
trained, your  ear  did  not  notice  it.  And  if  it  had  no- 
ticed it,  it  would  doubtless  have  taken  it  for  a  squirrel 
or  a  bird. 

We  reach  the  other  side  of  the  windfall  without 
seeing  anything.  Let  us,  however,  take  a  circuit 
around  the  edge  and  see  if  anything  has  gone  out. 
What  is  that  mark  on  the  ground  about  twenty  yards 
ahead  ?  Some  leaves  are  upturned.  They  look  moist 
on  one  side.  The  dirt,  too,  is  dark,  damp,  and  soft, 
and  shows  plainly  the  imprint  of  four  feet  that  have 
come  plunging  into  it  from  above.  Look  back  over 
this  log  and  see  if  you  do  not  find  some  more  tracks 
there. 

You  find  them  readily.  And  several  feet  farther 
back  toward  the  main  body  of  the  windfall  you  find 
more. 

Well,  we  have  ''jumped  "  a  deer  at  last.  Let  us  try 
another  and  see  if  we  cannot  get  at  least  a  view  of 
him  as  he  jumps. 

Do  you  see  those  brushy  ridges  with  the  ends  point- 
ing this  way,  some  two  hundred  yards  away,  just  vis- 
ible in  the  distance  ?  The  backs  and  points  of  those 
are  worth  examining  when  deer  are  so  plenty  as  they 
now  are  here.  Make  a  wide  circuit  to  the  left  so 
as  to  reach  the  backbone  of  the  first  ridge  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  or  more  from  its  point.  Then  go 


80  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

carefully  out  to  the  point.  If  you  see  nothing,  retrace 
your  steps  and  take  the  next  ridge  the  same  way. 

Too  much  trouble  for  an  uncertainty,  do  you  think? 
Then  by  all  means  have  your  own  way  and  go  straight 
to  the  point.  You  may  learn  more  in  that  way.  But 
you  will  yet  see  the  day  when  you  will  take  far  more 
trouble  than  that  for  an  uncertainty. 

On  you  go  to  the  first  point,  travel  down  that  ridge 
and  across  to  the  next  one.  Up  that  and  down  the 
next  one  you  think  you  will  go,  when  suddenly  you 
find  some  more  tracks  of  long  plunging  jumps.  They 
look  so  fresh  that  you  had  better  follow  them  back 
to  where  they  came  from. 

They  lead  you  to  the  very  point  of  the  second  ridge, 
and  there,  in  a  bunch  of  thin  brush,  you  find  a  fresh 
warm  bed  about  fifteen  feet  from  where  the  occu- 
pant's hoofs  tore  up  the  dirt  at  the  first  place  he 
struck  the  ground.  Now  stoop  down  in  the  bed  until 
your  head  is  about  eighteen  inches  from  the  ground. 
Do  you  notice  now  how  you  can  see  over  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  low  ground  over  which  you  passed  in 
coming  to  the  other  ridge?  The  deer  might  possibly 
have  heard  you.  But  as  he  could  have  seen  you,  we 
need  not  seek  any  other  explanation.  Now  if  you 
had  followed  my  advice,  he  could  not  have  seen  you 
until  you  were  quite  close;  you  would  have  had  the 
same  advantage  of  the  wind,  for  it  is  blowing  across 
the  ridges;  you  might  have  got  a  shot  at  him  as  he 
was  running  away  over  the  level  ground;  and  if  he 
had  run  around  either  side  of  the  ridge  you  would 
probably  have  heard  his  hoofs,  and  by  a  quick  dash  to 
that  side  of  the  ridge  you  might  have  got  a  shot  at 
him.  At  all  events,  you  would  at  least  have  seen  him, 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER  LYING  DOWN.  81 

which  would  be  no  small  pleasure  to  one  who  has 
never  yet  seen  a  wild  deer  in  his  native  woods. 

And  now  we  are  in  sight  of  the  old  "chopping"  or 
"slash,"  a  clearing  with  an  occasional  tall  dead, 
burned  or  blasted  tree  standing  amid  a  general  soli- 
tude of  logs  and  brush. 

You  must  now  study  four  things  in  the  following 
order  of  relative  importance  : 

ist.   To  avoid  noise  in  walking. 

2d.  To  avoid  going  down  the  wind. 

3d.  To  keep  on  as  high  ground  as  is  consistent 
with  quiet  walking  and  the  wind. 

4th.'  To  keep  the  sun  on  your  back. 

The  first  three  of  these  we  have  already  considered, 
and  you  know  their  importance.  For  hunting  open 
ground  the  fourth  often  becomes  of  great  importance; 
and  it  is  sometimes  an  advantage  worth  all  the  rest 
together.  In  hunting  ground  as  open  as  a  "slash,"  it 
is  sometimes  quite  important,  especially  if  there  are 
any  deer  in  it  still  on  foot,  which  is  often  the  case,  as 
deer  do  not  reserve  a  slash  exclusively  for  siestas.  And 
on  all  kinds  of  ground  it  is  an  advantage  that  should 
always  be  taken  where  it  can  be  done  without  sacri- 
fice of  the  others. 

Under  the  head  of  shooting  with  the  rifle  we  shall 
examine  the  difficulties  of  shooting  toward  the  sun, 
especially  when  it  is  near  the  horizon,  the  time  when 
you  will  be  most:  apt  to  get  shots  at  deer.  Now  to  hunt 
toward  the  sun  is  often  to  have  to  shoot  toward  the  sun. 
And  the  more  you  can  avoid  this  the  better.  So  much 
is  this  the  case  that  if  you  are  hunting  down  a  nar- 
row shallow  ravine  or  gulch  from  which  you  expect 
to  jump  a  deer  and  will  have  to  take  a  running  shot 
along  or  up  one  side  or  across  the  ridge  or  open 


82  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

ground  on  the  other  side,  you  had  better  walk  on  the 
side  toward  the  sun  even  though  it  be  the  windward 
side  and  be  the  most  difficult  one  upon  which  to  move 
quietly.  This  principle  holds  with  more  or  less  force 
in  all  cases  where  your  game  will  be  likely  to  run 
toward  the  sun,  especially  if  up  hill. 

But  there  is  another  reason  quite  as  strong  which 
is  of  immense  advantage  in  such  kinds  of  open  ground 
as  prairie,  table-lands,  etc.,  where  you  often  see  deer 
at  a  long  distance.  If  you  have  the  sun  on  your  own 
back  and  full  on  a  deer's  coat,  he  will  strike  your  eye 
twice  as  far  or  twice  as  quickly  as  if  the  case  were  re- 
versed. When  the  sun  is  the  other  way  you  may 
sometimes  see  at  a  long  distance  the  sheen  as  the  sun 
glances  from  the  hair  on  a  deer's  back.  But  as  a  rule, 
the  practical  effect  of  having  the  sun  beyond  the  deer 
is  to  make  the  deer  stand  in  shade.  You  need  scarcely 
be  told  that  this  makes  him  much  harder  to  see,  aside 
from  the  dazzling  effect  of  the  sun  upon  your  eyes. 
And  when  you  are  in  the  sun  and  the  deer  has  it  be- 
hind him,  it  is  as  much  easier  for  him  to  see  you  as  it 
is  easier  for  you  to  see  him  when  you  have  the  sun  on 
your  back  and  it  is  shining  full  upon  his  jacket.  And 
there  is  so  much  sunshine  in  these  old  choppings  or 
slashes  that  you  should  give  this  point  all  the  at- 
tention possibly  consistent  with  a  due  regard  to  the 
others. 

For  an  hour  you  toil  through  the  bristly  beard  of 
the  old  clearing,  picking  your  way  through  old 
logging-roads  or  other  open  places,  when  you  come  to 
another  series  of  tracks  made  by  plunging  hoofs  and 
ten  or  fifteen  feet  apart.  Examination  shows  that  a 
doe  and  two  full-grown  fawns  have  just  vacated  a  bit 
of  brush  among  some  old  logs  in  a  manner  savoring 


LOOKING  FOR  DEER  LYING  DOWN.  83 

decidedly  of  expedition.  And  yet  you  have  seen  and 
heard  nothing.  But  you  are  doing  something  of  much 
more  ultimate  use  to  you  than  seeing  or  even  bagging 
a  deer  could  possibly  be.  You  are  learning  at  last 
what  it  means  to  "jump  a  deer."  It  means  generally 
out  of  shot,  often  out  of  hearing,  frequently  even  out 
of  sight. 

Well,  let  us  move  along.  The  ground  is  getting 
higher  and  more  broken  and  is  nearing  a  creek  bot- 
tom. This  bottom  is  covered  with  "hard-wood  "  tim- 
ber, and  some  of  it  begins  to  appear  upon  the  ground 
we  are  now  on. 

But  hark!  What  is  that?  A  sound  like  the  distant 
hoof  of  a  horse  in  slow  gallop,  coming  from  the  side 
of  the  hill  toward  the  creek  bottom. 

And  now  see  how  naturally  you  will  do  just  the  very 
thing  you  should  not  do — a  thing  the  beginner  is 
almost  certain  to  do  at  first  if  left  to  himself.  You 
sneak  cautiously  to  the  edge  of  the  hill  and  peer  keenly 
over  in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound  came. 
You  think  you  see  about  everything  there  is  to  be 
seen.  And  you  are  about  right.  For  that  dark,  dim 
spot  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  that  faded  away  with  a 
single  whisk  into  the  dark  depths  of  the  timber  was 
hardly  to  be  seen  by  even  the  keenest  eyes  until  just 
too  late  to  shoot. 

While  you  were  sneaking  so  cautiously  a  deer  was 
getting  swiftly  away,  and  stopped  in  the  edge  of  the 
heavy  timber  to  look  back.  He  then  saw  your  hat 
rise  slowly  over  the  edge  of  the  hill.  As  he  was 
standing  still  and  you  were  moving  he  had  every  ad- 
vantage of  you.  He  saw  you  at  once  and  left  before 
your  eye  got  around  to  where  he  was.  But  you  prob- 
ably would  not  have  seen  him  even  had  you  turned 


84  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

your  glance  at  once  upon  him,  for  a  deer  in  such  tim- 
ber is  very  hard  to  see.  And  even  if  you  had  seen 
him  he  would  undoubtedly  have  seen  you  first,  and 
would  probably  have  started  before  you  could  take  a 
shot.  Now  if  at  the  first  sound  of  hoofs  you  had  run 
at  top  speed  for  the  edge  of  the  hill  you  would  have  re- 
versed all  this.  You  would  have  come  in  sight  of  him 
before  he  stopped  running.  If  you  had  then  stopped 
instantly,  you  would  have  had  either  a  running  shot 
or  a  good  standing  shot  as  soon  as  he  stopped.  For, 
not  seeing  you  if  you  were  mocionless,  he  would  have 
paused  a  moment  or  two  before  going  on.  In  such  a 
case  don't  stop  even  to  reload  your  rifle,  as  you  can 
run  to  the  edge  and  then  load  with  much  more  chance 
of  success  than  by  loading  first  and  then  going. 

This  is  a  principle  that  must  never  be  forgotten. 
The  advantage  that  one  of  two  persons  or  animals  at 
rest  has  over  the  other  one  moving,  is  immense.  And 
if  a  deer  in  any  way  gets  this  advantage  you  will 
rarely  get  him,  if  very  wild,  except  by  a  long  running 
shot.  With  antelope  it  is  still  more  fatal  to  success. 
And  even  to  the  tamest  deer  this  advantage  must 
never  be  given,  but  should  be  always  retained  by  the 
hunter.  There  are  many  cases  in  which  you  cannot 
prevent  a  deer  from  having  it,  and  such  constitute 
a  large  part  of  what  is  known  as  the  "  luck  against 
you." 

It  is  now  getting  toward  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon and  is  time  to  work  toward  the  oak  ridges  again. 
In  hunting  them  observe  the  same  rules  that  you  ob- 
served this  morning.  But  remember  that  as  night 
approaches  it  becomes  very  hard  to  distinguish  a  deer 
among  the  tree-trunks,  even  though  other  objects  still 
remain  quite  distinct. 


LOOKING   FOR  DEER  LYING  DOWN.  85 

Night  drops  at  last  her  dark  pall  around  your  hopes. 
You  wend  your  way  homeward  with  gloomy  face  and 
heavy  heart. 

Yet  why  despond?  You  cannot  expect  to  learn  an 
art  in  a  day  or  two.  You  have  made  progress  enough 
already.  You  have  learned  what  deer-hunting  is  not. 
You  do  not  yet  realize  in  a  practical  form  the  exces- 
sive amount  of  caution  necessary.  You  still  step  too 
hard;  let  your  clothes  touch  too  much  brush;  your 
eyes  are  yet  too  dull;  and  you  make  many  mistakes 
of  strategy. 

But  there  is  no  ground  for  discouragement.  It  took 
me  just  eleven  days,  where  deer  were  plenty,  too,  but 
very  wild,  to  get  sight  of  my  first  deer.  Humiliating  to 
confess,  but  I  confess  for  your  benefit.  The  causes 
were  books,  dry  leaves,  still  days,  and  totally  erro- 
neous notions  derived  from  pictures,  hunting-stories, 
old  hunters'  gabble,  etc.,  without  any  book  or  friend  to 
help  me. 


86  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE     FIRST     SIGHT    OF    GAME. 

BY  the  first  shimmer  of  light  from  the  eastern  arch 
you  tread  again  the  oak  ridges.  Disappointment  in- 
stead of  discouraging  you  has  only  spurred  your 
spirits  to  the  prancing  point.  The  woods,  too,  begin 
to  seem  more  like  home  than  before,  and  your  eyes 
take  in  with  swifter  and  more  comprehensive  glance 
the  various  sights  of  the  forest.  Far  quicker  and 
farther  than  ever  before  and  with  only  a  side  glance 
you  detect  the  tip  of  the  squirrel's  bushy  tail  or  his 
little  ears  as  he  peers  inquiringly  at  you  through 
some  fork  of  a  tree.  Almost  without  looking  you  see 
the  ruffed  grouse  spread  his  banded  fan-like  tail  and 
walk  over  the  dead  leaves  in  the  heavy  thicket 
along  the  creek.  And  far  faster  and  more  keenly 
your  eye  darts  down  the  long  forest  aisles  and 
among  the  dark  colonnades  of  tree-trunks,  and  sees 
everything  very  much  more  plainly  than  before.  All 
but  the  thing  you  wish  to  see!  All  around  you  are 
tokens  enough  of  its  recent  presence,  but  it  seems  a 
kind  of  spiritual  slipperiness  that  eludes  all  your 
senses. 

You  will  now  observe  all  the  precautions  given  you 
before  and  wind  along  and  over  the  ridges,  sometimes 
crossing  them  directly,  sometimes  quartering  over 
them,  sometimes  traveling  behind  the  crest,  some- 
times moving  dire-oily  upon  the  top;  according  to 


THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  GAME.  87 

shape  of  ground,  direction  of  wind,  and  facilities  for 
quietly  moving. 

Suddenly  your  eye  rests  upon  a  dim  spot  of  dark 
gray  on  a  ridge  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  off.  A 
strange  feeling  overwhelms  you  at  once,  for  there  is 
about  it  a  something — an  indescribable  something — 
that  never  would  have  caught  your  eye  before,  but 
now  does  most  decidedly  catch  it.  But  then  it  does 
not  look  in  the  least  like — 

Ha!  It  moves,  and  in  a  moment  slides  slowly  out 
of  sight  over  the  ridge. 

Why,  that  must  have  been  a — 

Of  course.  What  other  thing  of  that  color  would 
be  there  at  this  time  of  day?  Its  head  and  legs  were 
out  of  sight  beyond  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  so  that  you 
could  distinguish  nothing  that  looked  much  like  an 
animal. 

And  now  what  will  you  do  about  it  ?  Seeing  a  deer 
is  by  no  means  getting  a  shot  at  it,  and  getting  a  shot 
is  often  a  long  way  from  bagging  it.  I  will  leave  you 
to  yourself  and  let  you  see  how  naturally  you  will  do 
the  wrong  thing. 

With  stealthy  step  you  cross  the  hollow  directly  in 
line  with  the  spot  where  the  deer  disappeared.  By 
the  time  you  get  half  way  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  a 
faint  thump-k-thiiinp  comes  from  the  other  side.  Re- 
membering your  experience  of  yesterday,  you  dash  to 
the  crest  and  arrive  there  just  in  time  to  see — nothing. 
You  had  just  a  little  too  far  to  run;  it  was  up  hill 
also;  and  the  deer  needed  but  a  few  bounds  to  disap- 
pear in  the  heavy  timber  of  the  flat  below. 

And  how  did  you  lose  him  ?  Well,  he  was  feeding 
slowly  along,  and  was  just  below  where  you  last  saw 
him  when  you  came  to  the  foot  of  the  ridge.  You 


88  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

went  quietly  enough;  that  is,  about  as  quietly  as  any 
one  could  go  on  such  ground.  But  the  ridge  was 
both  narrow  and  low,  and  it  would  have  been  nearly 
impossible  on  leaves,  and  would  have  been  hard  enough 
even  on  snow,  to  approach  close  enough  to  see  him 
without  his  hearing  your  steps.  Now  the  wind  would 
have  allowed  you  to  swing  around  the  point  of  the 
ridge  toward  which  he  was  feeding,  which  would 
have  brought  you  eighty  or  ninety  yards  ahead  of 
him  and  directly  on  his  course.  From  that  point  you 
could  either  have  shot  or  have  lain  and  watched  his 
movements,  and  perhaps  have  had  him  feed  toward 
you.  Or  you  might  have  swung  around  the  other 
way  and  have  come  in  behind  him.  But  this  course 
would  have  been  unsafe  if  the  deer  were  moving  at 
any  speed,  as  it  would  have  brought  you  in  too  far 
behind  him,  and  the  deer  is  such  a  fast  walker  that 
you  could  not  have  overtaken  him  without  making 
too  much  noise.  You  might  also  have  waited  a  while 
in  the  flat  to  advantage.  For  he  either  might  have 
appeared  on  the  ridge  again  or  would  have  had  more 
time  to  get  off  the  other  side  or  farther  along  it,  so 
that  you  could  have  got  in  sight  of  him  without  his 
hearing  you.  As  it  was,  you  would  have  had  to  get 
within  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  of  him  to  see  him  at 
all;  a  thing  extremely  hard  to  do  even  on  soft  snow. 

Four  or  five  more  ridges  are  crossed,  and  as  you  are 
winding  along  the  back  of  another  one  there  is  a  sud- 
den flash  of  white  among  the  dark  tree-trunks  two 
hundred  yards  ahead;  another  second  and  it  flashes 
again,  but  more  faintly;  another  dim  flash,  and  it  is 
gone. 

There  is  no  need  of  desponding,  however.  You  are 
doing  finely.  You  are  making  progress  enough  in 


THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  GAME.  89 

getting  sight  of  them  at  all.  And  never  shall  you  see 
the  time  when,  in  spite  of  all  your  care,  the  white  flag 
will  not  occasionally  wave  you  such  a  farewell.  You 
were  not  to  blame;  for  there  are  times  when  a  deer 
will  see  the  hunter  first  and  no  amount  of  skill  or 
caution  on  his  part  can  prevent  it.  Still,  you  might  as 
well  allow  this  escape  to  intensify  your  caution  about 
walking  quietly,  as  well  as  your  keenness  of  vision. 

Old  Phoebus  has  his  wain  hitched  up  at  last;  its 
glowing  axle  is  climbing  fast  the  eastern  sky;  the 
tree-tops  begin  to  whisper  in  the  rising  breeze.  It  is 
time  the  deer  were  beginning  to  move  toward  their 
lying-down  ground,  and  we  might  as  well  work  that 
way.  But  let  us  not  go  too  fast. 

Stop!  There  is  one  just  below  the  crest  of  yonder 
ridge;  just  in  the  edge  of  a  little  clump  of  brush; 
about  ten  feet  to  the  left  of  that  tall  basswood. 

You  cannot  see  any  deer?  Do  you  not  see  that 
dark  low  thing  shaped  nearly  like  a  piece  of  log — 
right  in  the  edge  of  the  brush  ? 

That  is  no  deer  ?  Well,  if  you  cannot  take  my  word 
for  it,  go  on  and  satisfy  yourself.  Show  more  of  your 
head  and  shoulders,  of  course.  Smash  a  stick  or  two 
while  twisting  your  head  around  for  a  better  view. 

As  you  raise  your  head  for  a  better  view  there  is  a 
sudden  change.  Something  like  the  deer  of  the  artist 
is  suddenly  standing  beside  the  bush,  looking  rather 
small,  it  is  true,  but  an  unmistakable  picture-deer, 
vastly  different  from  what  you  saw  a  second  ago  and 
very  pretty  and  sculpturesque.  It  stands  just  long 
enough  to  allow  you  to  think  of  your  rifle;  then  there 
is  a  graceful  undulation  of  white  banner  over  the 
ridge;  and  in  a  second  you  are  again  gazing  sadly  at 
vacancv. 


OJ  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

We  are  now  nearing  the  old  pine-chopping  or 
"slash,"  but  before  going  into  it  let  us  inspect  that 
mass  of  wind-fallen  timber  on  the  right.  Swing 
around  to  the  leeward  side,  mount  a  high  log  and  go 
on  through  the  windfall,  moving  as  far  as  possible 
upon  tree-trunks  and  logs. 

One  third  of  it  is  thus  passed  when  there  is  a  sud- 
den crack  of  brush  and  over  a  distant  log  whirls  a  curv- 
ing mass  of  gray.  As  you  raise  your  rifle  with  con- 
vulsive jerk,  down  goes  the  gray  over  the  log  with  an 
upward  flirt  of  a  snowy  tail.  Up  it  comes  again,  and 
curving  over  the  next  huge  trunk  goes  plunging  out 
of  sight  behind  it,  just  as  you  try  to  catch  a  sight  with 
the  rifle.  Away  it  goes  over  log  after  log,  with  the 
white  banner  flaunting  high  as  the  curving  gray  goes 
down;  in  an  instant  it  clears  the  last  log;  glimmers 
for  a  second  on  the  open  ground  beyond,  and  fades  in 
a  twinkling  over  a  little  rise. 

No  occasion  for  desponding  now  either.  You  did 
just  right.  No  one  could  have  seen  that  deer  stand- 
ing still  or  lying  down  in  there.  The  only  chance  was 
to  "jump"  him  and  take  a  running  shot.  And  such  a 
hurdle-leaper  is  one  of  the  hardest  things  in  the  world 
to  hit.  You  actually  did  better  to  stand  and  watch  it 
without  shooting  at  all  than  you  would  have  done  had 
you  fired  without  seeing  your  rifle-sight  or  making 
any  calculations  for  the  deer's  up-and-down  motion. 

And  here  we  are  at  the  slash.  Now  remember  the 
points  about  hunting  it  that  you  learned  the  last  time. 

For  nearly  an  hour  you  thread  the  open  places, 
picking  your  way  with  care.  But  this  gets  tiresome, 
and  you  conclude  to  go  to  yonder  point  and  sit  down 
a  while.  A  harmless  idea  enough;  but  be  just  as  care- 
ful in  going  to  it  as  you  have  been  at  any  time  yet. 


THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  GAME.  91 

No,  no.  Keep  out  of  those  briers.  Attempt  no 
short-cuts.  Walk  around  to  that  ridge  on  the  right 
and  take  that,  for  it  is  high  ground  and  is  not  brushy. 

You  listen,  however,  to  your  weary  legs  and  take  the 
short-cut.  You  finally  reach  the  point,  and  are  about 
to  sit  down  when  your  attention  is  suddenly  arrested 
by  three  small  objects  careering  away  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  off.  They  look  but  little  larger  than  rab- 
bits; and  their  woolly  tails  bob  up  and  down  in  much 
the  same  manner,  as,  on  a  gentle  rolling  canter,  they 
dissolve  in  the  brush  and  briers. 

Only  a  doe  and  two  fawns.  They  were  lying  just 
over  the  point  and  heard  you  enjoying  the  luxury  of 
that  short-cut.  By  going  that  way  you  made  an  un- 
necessary cracking  of  brush  which  you  could  have 
avoided  by  taking  this  old  logging-road  that  leads  to 
that  other  ridge.  That  ridge  connects  with  the  one 
on  which  the  deer  were,  and  is  not  brushy  enough  to 
prevent  quiet  walking.  Thus  you  would  have  made 
no  noise  and  would  have  been  all  the  time  in  a  posi- 
tion to  see  anything  that  might  run,  instead  of  being 
in  the  brush  and  briers  where  you  could  see  nothing. 
You  may  sit  down  now,  but  spend  the  time  in  ponder- 
ing this  moral:  Beware  of  short-cuts  in  still-hunting. 

But  deer  do  not  always  lie  upon  the  ridges  or  their 
points,  either  in  a  "  slash  "  or  anywhere  else.  There 
is  some  old  hunter's  talk  about  "  bucks  lyin'  up  on 
the  pints  a-hardenin'  their  horns."  But  my  experience 
has  been  that  even  an  old  buck  at  the  time  his  horns 
are  hardening — late  in  the  summer  or  very  early  in 
the  fall — is  just  about  as  fond  of  a  nice  little  brushy 
basin  as  of  the  points;  especially  when  the  sun  is  hot 
and  there  is  little  cover  on  the  points.  And  at  this 
time — when  the  acorns  are  falling  and  the  deer's 


93  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

horns  are  fully  hardened — I  never  could  observe  that 
either  bucks,  does,  or  fawns  had  any  preference  for 
points,  though  of  course  they  will  often  lie  on  them. 
Now  there,  some  three  hundred  yards  to  the  right,  is 
a  nice  little  basin  well  filled  with  old  logs  and  grown 
up  with  brush,  which  will  probably  repay  inspection. 

You  go  over  to  it,  and  before  you  get  a  fair  sight  of 
the  bottom  of  it  you  are  startled  by  a  hollow-toned 
phew  long-drawn  and  penetrating.  Instantly  there  is 
a  crash  of  brush,  the  thump  of  heavy  hoofs,  a  gleam 
of  dark  gray  among  the  yielding  bushes,  a  sudden 
glistening  of  the  sun  on  sharp-pointed  tines,  and  in  a 
twinkling  bursts  from  the  brush  into  the  open  ground 
the  stately  form  of  the  buck  that  made  those  big 
tracks  you  saw  leading  into  the  "  slash."  Away  he  goes, 
with  sleek  coat  bright  and  glossy  in  the  morning 
sun,  his  shining  horns  carried  well  up  and  his  long 
snowy  tail  waving  up  and  down.  Just  as  you  begin 
to  remember  what  you  came  for  he  wheels  around  q 
jutting  point  and  is  gone. 

And  now,  why  did  you  forget  the  lesson  you  so 
lately  had  about  short-cuts  ?  It  was  too  much  trouble 
to  go  a  little  way  around,  so  you  came  directly  down 
the  wind,  perhaps  without  thinking  about  it  at  all. 
It  was  also  too  much  trouble  to  get  on  the  ridge  in- 
stead of  entering  the  basin  so  low  down  as  you  did. 
Now  if  you  had  made  a  circuit  of  three  hundred 
yards,  and  got  upon  this  ridge  to  the  leeward,  you 
might  have  still  had  to  take  a  running  shot,  but  you 
would  have  been  almost  certain  to  get  as  close 
again  before  starting  the  buck,  and  would  have  seen 
him  three  times  as  long  after  you  did  start  him. 
Unless  you  are  more  careful  you  will  not  only  get 


Here   is    a   good    chance    for  a  standing  shot    lost    by    going 
through  that  brush  instead  of  around  it. 


THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  GAME.  93 

nothing  but  running  shots,  but  will  get  only  very  long 
and  bad  ones  even  of  those. 

Half  an  hour  more  brings  you  in  sight  of  a  piece  of 
low  ground  along  a  creek.  And  here  a  slight  move- 
ment in  some  brush  some  two  hundred  yards  away 
arrests  your  eye. 

Drop  at  once  out  of  its  sight  and  see  what  it  is. 
In  a  moment  two  delicate  gray  ears  appear  above  the 
brush,  followed  by  the  head  and  slim,  graceful  neck 
of  a  fawn. 

Pshaw!  Only  a  fawn!  Surely  no  sportsman  ever 
butchers  a  little  baby-deer. 

No;  not  with  the  pen.  It  is  always  that  everlast- 
ing "old  buck,"  the  biggest,  oldest,  fattest,  and 
heaviest  ever  seen.  He  never  weighs  under  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds,  dressed,  and  never  flourishes 
less  than  seven  or  eight  tines  on  his  horns.  Such  a 
number  of  these  fall  annually  before  the  unerring 
quill-shots  of  our  country  that  I  have  at  times  felt  in- 
clined, in  the  interests  of  natural  history,  to  offer  a 
reward  for  any  really  reliable  information  about  the 
killing  of  a  small  doe  or  a  fawn. 

The  idea  that  a  fawn  is  necessarily  easy  to  kill  is 
the  offspring  of  an  ignorant  head.  The  spotted  fawn 
generally  is,  and  few  sportsmen  ever  kill  one  if  they 
can  see  exactly  what  it  is.  But  when  seven  or  eight 
months  old  a  fawn  can  often  slip  through  the  fingers 
of  skill  and  experience  in  a  style  so  deeply  impressive 
that  the  older  one  grows  in  experience  (with  the  rifle 
instead  of  the  pen)  the  more  his  respect  for  a  fawn  in- 
creases. Fawns  are  wilder  to-day  than  full-grown 
deer  were  twenty  years  ago;  they  grow  still  wilder 
with  a  little  hunting  ;  and  they  are  always  wild  enough 


94  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

when  alone  and  not  running  with  the  mother  to  be 
highly  worthy  of  the  tyro's  bullet. 

It  would  not  do  to  shoot  from  here.  It  is  too  far  en- 
tirely for  a  sure  shot  by  any  one,  and  a  tyro  would  be 
sure  to  miss.  Therefore  the  very  first  thing  you  must  do 
is  not  to  be  in  a  hurry.  Find  out  what  the  fawn  is  doing; 
examine  all  the  surroundings;  see  which  is  the  best 
way  to  approach  it.  But  above  all  things,  positively 
no  hurry,  for  in  still-hunting  Hurry  is  the  parent  of 
Flurry.  There  is  no  occasion  for  haste,  for  the  fawn 
will  probably  not  leave  that  brush  at  this  time  of  day. 
It  probably  has  not  yet  lain  down  and  is  about  to  do 
so.  Or  it  may  have  been  lying  down  and  has  risen 
to  change  its  bed  to  the  shade,  or  you  know  not  what. 
At  any  rate,  it  is  not  alarmed,  and  will  probably  stay 
there  until  afternoon  if  let  alone.  It  is  browsing  a 
little,  you  see.  A  deer  is  very  apt  to  nip  a  few  twigs 
at  any  time  of  the  day  he  happens  to  be  on  foot. 
Every  time  it  nips  a  bud  or  two  it  raises  its  pretty 
little  head  above  the  bushes  and  takes  a  good  long 
look.  You  must  get  within  at  least  a  hundred 
yards,  and  even  fifty  if  you  can;  for  it  will  be  no  easy 
matter  to  tell  where  its  body  is,  and  the  head  will  be 
too  fine  a  mark  for  a  beginner. 

Slipping  backward  and  going  down  a  little  ravine, 
you  reach  the  low  ground  without  being  seen  by  the 
fawn,  and  soon  reach  the  patch  of  low  brush  in  which 
you  saw  it.  You  take  unusual  care  about  every  step; 
you  stoop  quite  low;  you  felicitate  yourself  upon 
your  acuteness  and  caution.  Arriving  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  where  it  was,  you  rise  up  and  take 
a  look;  but  seeing  nothing,  you  move  on  twenty  yards 
more  and  take  another  look.  Nothing  in  sight  yet, 
and  twenty  yards  more  fails  to  reveal  anything. 


TIT3  FIKST  Z1GIIT  O 

Twenty  yards  more  are  passed,  and  your  heart  be- 
gins to  labor  heavily,  for  the  crisis  fast  approaches. 
A  long  look.  Nothing  stirs.  The  silence  becomes 
painfully  suspicious.  A  moment  more  and  you  reach 
the  edge  of  the  bushes.  The  bright  sun  filters  through 
them;  the  bluejay  jangles  his  discordant  notes  in  the 
tree  above;  the  raven  wheeling  on  high  grates  his  dis- 
mal throat;  but  of  venison  there  is  neither  sight  nor 
sound.  Going  around  the  bushes,  you  find  on  the 
side  toward  the  creek  those  marks  so  refreshing  to  the 
soul  of  the  weary  hunter  whose  internal  economy  has 
for  half  an  hour  been  running  under  the  superheated 
steam  of  anticipation — fresh  tracks  of  plunging  jumps 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  apart. 

I  have  seen  men  who  would  blame  the  deer  for  all 
this  and  start  for  home,  declaring  still-hunting  a 
fraud  and  vowing  vengeance  on  any  one  who  ever 
again  mentioned  the  pestiferous  business.  I  have 
known  others  who  blamed  themselves  for  it  entirely,  sat 
down  and  meditated  the  causes  of  their  failure,  and 
arose  with  increased  respect  and  admiration  for  the 
deer,  double  determination  to  conquer  him  and  his 
tricks,  and  redoubled  ardor  for  the  chase.  For  the 
first  class  this  book  is  not  written.  The  Adirondack 
guide  who  holds  a  deer  by  the  tail  in  the  water  for 
his  patrons  to  shoot  from  the  boat  with  a  shot-gun, 
or  the  owner  of  the  scaffold  at  some  salt-lick,  can  give 
such  all  the  information  they  are  likely  ever  to  need 
or  appreciate.  But  you,  for  whom  this  is  written,  can 
learn  a  good  lesson  here. 

You  took  care  to  keep  the  wind  in  your  face;  you 
went  quietly  enough  and  slowly  enough;  you  also 
looked  keenly  enough.  So  far  very  well. 

But  you  forgot  two  very  important  things. 


96  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

ist.  That  the  deer  was  standing  in  brush  of  almost 
the  height  of  its  head. 

2d.  That  a  deer  in  brush  can  see  out  of  it  far  better 
than  you  can  see  into  it. 

In  such  a  position  a  deer  has  every  advantage  of 
you.  Your  only  chance  to  see  him  is  to  get  upon 
high  ground  where  you  can  see  down  into  the  brush; 
or  wait  until  he  moves;  or  else  approach  the  brush  in 
such  a  way  that  you  can  get  a  good  running  shot  in 
case  he  starts.  Now  there  is  a  knoll  on  the  side  to- 
ward the  creek,  and  it  is  only  sixty  yards  from  where 
the  deer  was.  If  you  had  made  a  circuit  and  got 
upon  it,  you  would  have  seen  the  fawn's  neck  and 
head  when  he  raised  them.  You  would  also  have 
seen  him  if  he  moved.  You  might  have  waited  there 
an  hour  or  more  with  safety,  for  at  this  time  of  day  a 
deer  not  disturbed  will  not  move  far.  He  might 
have  come  out  of  the  brush  and  browsed  around  the 
edges  a  while,  or  even  have  come  toward  you.  At  all 
events,  you  would  have  known  just  what  he  was 
doing;  and  if  he  had  lain  down,  by  approaching  from 
this  side  you  might  have  had  a  fair  running  shot;  for 
the  ground  on  the  other  side,  you  see,  is  rising  and 
open,  whereas  this  is  falling  and  so  brushy  that  you 
did  not  even  see  him  when  he  ran. 

On  your  way  homeward  in  the  afternoon  you  sud- 
denly discover  two  slim  gray  sticks  just  under  the 
trunk  of  a  large  fallen  tree.  A  few  days  ago  you 
would  hardly  have  noticed  them,  but  now  you  at  once 
see  a  curious  color,  shape,  and  slant  about  them  not 
shared  by  common  sticks. 

But  stop.  Do  not  try  to  get  any  closer;  that  will 
never  do.  You  are  almost  too  close  now.  Higher 
up  and  farther  around,  so  as  to  see  the  other  side  of 


THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  GAME.  97 

the  log.  is  where  you  want  to  get.  If  you  go  directly 
toward  those  logs  the  owner  of  the  "  sticks"  will  be  sure 
to  hear  you,  or  see  your  legs  under  the  log,  before  you 
can  possibly  see  his  body.  Back  out  as  silently  as 
death,  and  circling  around  behind  that  ridge,  go  to  its 
top  from  the  back  side.  That  commands  a  view  of  the 
other  side  of  the  tree-trunk.  If  you  should  start  that 
deer  now,  you  would  not  get  even  a  running  shot;  at 
this  time  of  day  he  may  stand  there  so  long  that  it  will 
not  be  advisable  to  wait  for  him  to  move;  if  he  does 
move,  the  chances  are  against  his  moving  into  your 
eye-range,  as  there  are  many  other  big  logs  close  by. 

A  detour  of  some  two  hundred  yards  brings  you  to 
the  top  of  the  ridge.  You  look  down  at  the  fallen 
tree  and  see  nothing.  You  look  several  seconds,  and 
yet  see  nothing.  Concluding  that  you  were  mistaken 
or  that  he  is  gone,  you  come  over  the  crest  of  the 
ridge.  And  in  a  twinkling 

"Venison  vanisheth  down  the  vale 
With  bounding  hoof  and  flaunting  tail." 

You  were  too  impatient.  He  had  moved  only  a 
few  steps  while  you  were  going  around,  and  stood  in 
a  thin  bush  a  few  steps  to  the  right.  You  should 
have  thoroughly  scanned  every  spot  within  fifty  yards 
of  the  log,  and  looked  for  several  minutes,  instead  of 
several  seconds,  before  showing  even  your  head  over 
the  ridge.  So  important  is  patience  in  general  that  I 
shall  have  to  reserve  it  for  a  special  chapter. 

You  wind  your  way  homeward  over  the  oak  ridges, 
and  through  the  darkening  timber  see  a  white  hand- 
kerchief or  two  beckoning  you  on,  and  hear  once  or 
twice  the  sound  of  bounding  hoofs.  But  you  reach 
home  without  seeing  anything  upon  which  you  can 


98  'THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

catch  sight  with  your  rifle.  You  have  seen  plenty  of 
deer  to-day,  but  all  going,  going,  going,  glimmering 
through  the  dream  of  things  that  ought  to  be.  Yet 
somehow  you  feel  a  supreme  contempt  for  the  ex- 
ploit of  your  friend  who  last  year  sat  by  a  salt-lick 
and  bagged  two  in  one  night  with  a  shot-gun.  You 
feel  rich  in  a  far  higher  and  nobler  experience,  and 
feel  that  to  him  who  has  within  the  true  spirit  of  the 
chase  there  is  far  more  pleasure  in  seeing  over  a  ridge 
or  among  the  darkening  trunks  a  flaunting  flag  wave 
a  mocking  farewell  to  hope,  than  in  contemplating 
a  gross  pile  of  meat  bagged  with  less  skill  than  is 
required  to  wring  a  chicken's  neck  on  a  moonlight 
night. 

And  you  have  learned  at  last  the  first  steps  in  what 
is  the  most  important  part  of  hunting  very  wild  deer, 
and  about  the  last  thing  about  which  the  tyro  is  likely 
to  imagine  any  difficulty;  viz.,  to  get  sight  of  a  deer  at 
all. 


THE  FIRST  SHOT  AT  A   DEER.  99 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE    FIRST    SHOT    AT    A    DEER. 

WE  will  suppose  that  several  days  of  blighted  hopes 
have  passed  over  your  head;  that  some  days  you  have 
seen  nothing  but  tracks  and  occasional  long  jumps, 
and  on  others  only  a  tail  or  two  glimmering  out  of 
sight  in  the  dark  depths  of  timber  or  over  a  ridge. 
We  will  suppose  this  because  it  is  most  likely  to  be 
true,  and  nothing  should  be  concealed  from  you.  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  far  better  to  know  fully  the  ob- 
stacles before  you,  so  that  you  will  know  the  want  of 
progress  is  your  own  fault,  and  one  which  you  share 
with  all  beginners. 

We  will  suppose — what  is  quite  certain  to  be  true  if 
you  have  any  spirit  of  the  chase  in  you — that  these 
days  of  disappointment  have  been  days  full  of  profit 
and  rich  in  experience ;  that  your  eye  has  become 
keener,  more  widely  ranging  and  comprehensive  in 
its  glance,  more  familiar  with  all  the  features  of  the 
forest,  detecting  instantly  shapes  and  spots  before 
unnoticed,  and  penetrating  thicket  and  brush  which 
at  first  appeared  almost  impenetrable;  that  your  step 
has  become  lighter  and  more  elastic,  your  foot  at  once 
feeling  a  stick  beneath  it  while  your  eyes  are  fixed  far 
away;  your  coat  and  legs  avoiding  brush  as  if  instinc- 
tively; your  ears  more  keenly  alive  to  every  noise,  and 
your  whole  being  worked  up  into  a  combination  of 
watchfulness  and  caution. 


100  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

We  will  suppose,  too,  that  you  have  duly  studied 
the  lessons  you  have  had,  and  are  getting  quite  an 
idea  of  the  kinds  of  ground  on  which  a  deer  may  be 
expected  to  be  found  at  any  particular  time  of  day, 
as  well  as  of  those  kinds  upon  which  he  will  probably 
not  be  found.  With  this  improvement  we  will  try 
the  woods  again. 

Already  the  east  is  flooded  with  enough  silvery 
sheen  to  allow  you  to  see  a  deer  in  the  woods,  and 
again  you  are  gliding  along  the  acorn  ridges.  The 
morning  is  cool  and  fresh;  there  was  a  fine  rain  yes- 
terday, and  all  the  leaves  and  twigs  under  foot  are 
soft  and  quiet  to  the  touch;  the  breeze  is  strong  and 
fresh,  and  by  walking  against  it  this  morning  you 
shall  have  good  prospects  of  game,  you  think.  Very 
correct.  But  relax  not  an  atom 'of  either  vigilance  or 
caution  on  account  of  these  advantages.  Mark  this 
well.  In  still-hunting  you  have  never  an  advantage  to  spare. 
It  will  do  you  no  harm  to  retain  every  one,  and  you 
may  lose  by  throwing  away  a  very  slight  one  that  you 
think  quite  needless. 

And  what  sort  of  a  beast  is  that  on  yonder  ridge 
a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  away,  just  dimly  visible 
through  the  cloud  of  twigs  and  branches  of  interven- 
ing trees?  It  can  hardly  be  a  deer.  It  looks  small 
and  dark  and  lacks  all  that  graceful  outline  of  the 
deer  engraved  on  the  lock-plate  of  your  gun.  Its 
head,  too,  is  low  down  and  projecting  like  that  of  a 
long-necked  goat,  while  its  nether  extremity  looks 
awkwardly  angular  like  that  of  a  cow.  It  is  not  a 
very  enchanting  piece  of  symmetry,  and  seems  lacking 
in  that  feature  so  essential  to  the  regulation  deer — a 
pair  of  ten-pointed  horns.  But  then  it  is  an  animal 
of  some  kind  and  must  be  inspected.  And  to  tell  you 


THE   FIRST  SHOT  AT  A    DEER.  101 

the  truth,  you  had  better  lose  no  time  in  inspecting  it. 
For  it  is  walking,  and  the  deer,  if  this  should  be  one, 
is  a  fast  walker. 

At  a  glance  }rou  see  the  folly  of  shooting  at  a  walk- 
ing mark  of  such  a  small  size  at  such  a  distance. 
Moreover,  there  are  many  twigs  and  small  branches 
in  the  way  that  can  easily  deflect  a  ball.  You  see, 
too,  the  impossibility  of  crossing  in  time  the  flat  be- 
tween you  and  the  ridge  the  deer  is  on;  and  very 
properly  doubt  the  policy  of  so  doing  even  if  you 
could  cross  it.  But  you  also  notice  that  it  is  walking 
with  the  wind  and  along  the  top  of  the  ridge  it  is  on. 
You  see,  too,  that  some  two  hundred  yards  in  the 
same  direction  the  deer  is  taking,  the  ridge  you  are 
on  connects  with  the  one  the  deer  is  on. 

Quickly  and  quietly  you  back  off  of  the  ridge  you 
are  on,  run  down  along  it  to  where  it  joins  the  other, 
and  then  going  carefully  to  the  top  you  raise  your 
head  with  great  caution  and  look  down  along  the 
other  ridge.  But  you  see  nothing. 

And  now  beware.  You  are  coming  now  to  the 
trying  point.  You  have  done  very  well  so  far,  but 
are  now  at  the  point  where  a  little  haste  often  dashes 
to  the  ground  the  cup  of  success  just  as  it  has  reached 
the  lip.  You  want  to  go  ahead.  You  feel  a  burning 
anxiety  to  see  that  animal.  Your  foot  is  already 
raised  to  go  ahead. 

But  stop  and  consider  a  moment.  Suppose  that 
just  at  the  moment  you  move  ahead  the  deer  should 
happen  to  be  standing  still.  Have  you  forgotten  how 
hard  it  will  then  be  for  you  to  see  him,  and  how  easy 
it  will  be  for  him  to  see  you  ?  Recollect  that  it  is 
only  daylight;  that  the  deer  is  undoubtedly  feeding, 
and  is  in  no  haste  to  move  away;  and  that  you  have 


102  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  wind  from  him  to  you.  If  it  leaves  that  ridge  at 
all,  it  is  much  more  likely  to  come  to  this  point  of 
junction  with  another  one  than  it  is  to  cross  that  flat. 
That  is  probably  just  what  it  is  now  doing.  At  all 
events,  the  chances  of  its  doing  that  or  else  staying 
on  the  ridge  are  greater  than  the  chances  of  your 
moving  far  along  that  ridge  without  being  seen  by  it. 
Nevertheless  you  may  move  out  a  little  farther,  be- 
cause you  got  here  so  quickly  that  the  deer  is  prob- 
ably little  over  half  way  here.  But  stoop  very  low; 
go  very  carefully;  go  no  farther  than  is  necessary  to 
give  you  a  good  view  of  either  hollow  in  case  the  deer 
should  cross  one  of  them;  and  then  stop  behind  a 
tree,  stand  upright  behind  it,  and  move  your  head  in 
looking  as  little  and  as  slowly  as  possible. 

And  there  you  stand  while  a  second  seems  a  minute 
and  a  minute  seems  the  grandfather  of  an  hour.  How 
restless  your  feet  become  to  move  on  again!  But 
yield  not  an  inch  to  impatience  now.  Recollect  that 
there  is  not  one  chance  in  fifty  that  that  deer  will  re- 
retrace  his  steps;  there  is  not  one  in  five  that  he  will 
cross  either  flat,  or  one  in  ten  that  he  can  do  it  with- 
out your  seeing  him  and  getting  a  tolerably  fair  shot 
at  him.  Remember,  too,  that  there  is  not  one  chance 
in  ten  of  your  seeing  him  first  if  you  move  on.  That 
deer  is  probably  within  seventy-five  yards  of  you  and 
feeding  slowly  along  the  ridge. 

If  patience  ever  brings  reward,  it  is  to  the  still- 
hunter.  And  here  at  last  comes  yours — a  piece  of 
dull  dark  gray  slowly  moving  in  some  brush  forty  or 
fifty  yards  ahead. 

No,  no ;  do  not  shoot  yet.  It  will  surely  come 
closer  and  make  a  more  distinct  mark.  But  watch  it 
closely,  for  you  have  no  idea  of  how  easily  a  deer  can 


THE  FIRST  SHOT  AT  A   DEER.  103 

slip  out  of  sight  even  in  pretty  open  brush.  So  keep 
your  eye  on  that  dark  gray  while  I  tell  you  a  little 
story  about  a  friend  of  mine,  a  dilettante  sportsman: 

'Twas  on  a  clear  and  frosty  morn, 
When  loudly  on  the  air  were  borne 
Those  weird  and  deeply  thrilling  sounds, 
The  clanging  tones  of  clamorous  hounds. 
"  How  sweet,"  said  he,  "  that  music  floats 
And  rolls  in  wild  tumultuous  notes; 
Now  ringing  up  the  mountain's  side, 
Now  waxing,  waning,  like  the  tide, 
Or  swinging  loud  across  the  dell 
Like  Pandemonium's  carnival." 

Hot  bounds  his  blood  in  swift  career, 
When  bursts  the  uproar  still  more  near, 
And  hope  and  fear  alternate  play 
With  bounding  joy  and  dark  dismay. 

As  louder,  nearer,  bays  the  pack, 
Cold  shivers  dance  along  his  back; 
From  tip  to  toe  his  nerves  all  tingle, 
His  knee-pans  seem  almost  to  jingle, 
All  o'er  his  skin  hot  flashes  amble, 
And  on  his  head  each  hair  doth  scramble; 
He  feels  his  heart  erratic  beat, 
He  nearly  melts  with  inward  heat, 
And  grasps  with  quivering  hand  the  gun 
As  nears  the  pack  in  rapid  run. 

And  now  there  comes  an  ominous  sound 

Of  hoofs  that  fiercely  spurn  the  ground, 

Close  followed  by  a  sudden  crash, 

As  through  the  brush  with  headlong  dash 

There  bursts  in  view  a  lordly  buck. 

"  Ye  gods!  "  he  chattered,  "  oh,  what  luck  ! 

But  oh  !  ain't  he  a  splendid  sight! 

Those  spirit-eyes!     How  wildly  bright! 


104  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

What  graceful  form!     What  glossy  vest! 
What  massive  neck!     What  brawny  chest! 
What  proud  defiance  seem  to  shed 
Those  antlers  o'er  his  shapely  head! 
How  in  the  sun  they  flash  and  shine 
From  rugged  base  to  polished  tine!" 

"  Phew  ! "  said  the  buck,  with  lofty  bound 

That  scattered  dirt  and  leaves  around; 

Then  skipped  across  the  field  of  view, 

Waved  with  his  flag  a  fond  adieu 

To  his  admirer's  ravished  eye, 

Just  as  the  hounds  came  foaming  by. 

"  But  where's  my  gun  ?    He's  gone!    Oh,  thunder! 
How  could  I  ever  make  such  blunder! 
It  looked  so  fine  to  see  him  run 
I  quite  forgot  I  had  a  gun." 

Here  now  is  your  animal  in  plain  sight.  It  will 
pass  you  on  a  slanting  course  about  twenty-five  yards 
to  your  right.  If  you  were  an  experienced  shot  you 
could  hit  it  while  moving;  but  being  a  novice  you  had 
better  make  it  halt  so  as  to  be  sure  of  it.  Say  Mah! 
plainly  and  distinctly,  but  not  too  loudly. 

Presto  !  what  a  change  !  Mah  !  is  about  the  sound 
of  a  deer's  bleat.  At  the  sound  the  awkward-looking 
thing  is  resolved,  as  by  the  stroke  of  an  enchanter's 
wand,  into  all  the  grace  and  symmetry  of  the  artist's 
deer.  It  stands  in  the  light  of  the  rising  sun  with 
sleek  and  shiny  coat,  rotund  with  fatness  ;  its  dark 
eyes  are  turned  inquiringly  toward  you;  its  delicate 
ears  are  turned  forward  to  catch  the  slightest  sound. 
It  is  a  fine,  full-grown  doe,  only  thirty  yards  away, 
and  broadside  at  that.  The  picture-deer  exactly  ! 

The  little  story  has  had  its  intended  effect,  and  has 
kept  off  that  form  of  what  is  called  "buck  ague." 


THE  FIRST  SHOT  AT  A   DEER.  105 

With  hand  quite  firm  you  raise  the  rifle;  your  eye 
glances  along  the  sights  and  sees  they  are  in  line  with 
the  beamy  pelt ;  with  a  thrill  of  delight  you  press 
the  trigger. 

At  the  crack  of  the  rifle  the  doe  rolls  away  in  bil- 
lowy flight,  her  white  flag  riding  like  a  white-cap 
each  wave  of  her  course,  until  in  a  moment  it  sinks 
into  the  sea  of  timber  and  brush  around  you. 

Too  close.     That's  all. 

How  can  a  thing  be  too  close  ?  Well,  a  deer  nearly 
always  is  for  the  first  few  shots.  It  looks  too  big, 
makes  you  feel  too  sure  of  it,  and  prevents  your  sight- 
ing as  carefully  as  you  should  do.  Even  an  experi- 
enced shot  occasionally  misses  a  deer  in  this  way.  A 
trifling  amount  of  overconfidence  is  enough  to  do  it. 
You  did  not  take  a  fine  enough  sight.  You  flattered 
yourself  that  you  were  cool  and  saw  the  sights  of  the 
rifle  plainly.  So  you  did,  after  a  certain  fashion.  But 
you  still  aimed  very  much  as  you  would  have  aimed 
with  a  shot-gun  at  a  rabbit,  whereas  you  should  have 
aimed  precisely  as  you  would  aim  to  hit  a  two-inch 
bull's-eye  on  a  target  at  that  distance.  So  take  this 
as  your  first  lesson  in  shooting;  namely,  a  deer  at  a 
distance  where  one  can  almost  hit  it  with  a  stone  may  be 
missed  with  a  rifle  in  perfectly  cool  hands  by  a  very  trifling 
lack  of  care  in  aiming. 

But  after  shooting  at  a  deer  you  should  always 
examine  the  ground  where  it  stood  for  blood  or  hair, 
and  should  follow  its  tracks  for  some  distance,  look- 
ing for  blood  or  indications  of  staggering  or  unsteadi- 
ness in  its  gait.  It  will  generally  suffice  to  follow  them 
to  the  first  place  where  the  deer  stops  to  look  back. 
If  no  blood  shows  itself  here,  you  may  feel  quite  cer- 
tain it  is  not  hurt  enough  for  you  to  secure  unless 


106  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

upon  snow;  though  one  mortally  wounded  may  run 
half  a  mile  or  more  without  showing  it  even  upon 
snow.  On  one  occasion  I  found  a  stale  and  bloody 
trail  of  a  deer  in  snow  one  afternoon  with  no  hunter's 
track  upon  it.  I  soon  tracked  it  up,  and  found  the  deer 
dead  with  a  bullet-hole  through  the  neck.  As  the  hole 
corresponded  in  size  with  the  ball  I  was  then  using, 
and  as  the  deer  looked  like  one  I  had  shot  at  that 
morning,  I  concluded  to  follow  the  trail  back  to  where 
it  was  shot.  Nearly  half  a  mile  back  from  there  I 
came  to  the  place  where  I  had  given  up  the  trail  in 
the  morning.  I  had  followed  it  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  and  it  was  nearly  one  third  of  a  mile  to  where 
blood  first  began  to  spot  the  snow.  Many  deer  are 
lost  by  neglecting  a  thorough  examination  of  this 
kind,  especially  when  they  are  shot  with  rifles  of  such 
small  caliber  as  those  in  which  the  American  heart 
most  delights. 

You  spend  another  hour  upon  the  ridges  without 
seeing  anything  but  the  tracks  of  some  more  plung- 
ing jumps  of  deer  that  you  have  started  unseen.  As 
this  is  a  difficulty  that  you  can  never  entirely  over- 
come, you  need  not  feel  very  bad  about  it.  No  matter 
how  carefully  one  may  hunt,  or  how  keen  one's  sight 
may  be,  a  deer  will  often  escape  in  this  way,  even 
when  one  has  the  aid  of  snow  to  tell  nearly  where 
the  deer  is.  The  advantage  which  a  deer  is  often  sure 
to  have  in  being  at  rest  while  you  are  moving,  in  being 
on  ground  where  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  walk 
quietly,  in  being  at  one  of  those  turning-points  in 
your  course  where  you  must  walk  down  wind  for  a 
while,  or  in  being  in  one  of  those  eddies  or  cross- 
currents that  carry  your  scent  where  you  least  expect 


THE  FIRST  SHOT  AT  A    DEER.  107 

it,  will  often  turn  the  fortune  of  the  day  against  you 
even  if  you  are  the  very  best  of  hunters. 

It  is  now  about  time  to  visit  the  old  "  slash"  again. 
Here  is  a  long  low  creek-bottom  covered  with  black- 
haw,  thorn-apple,  wild-plum,  and  other  bushes  and 
scrubby  trees  amid  the  heavier  timber.  And  this  is 
the  very  kind  of  ground  on  which  a  deer  will  often 
lounge  about  an  hour  or  so  on  his  way  to  the  "slash," 
windfall,  or  brushy  ridges  where  he  will  lie  down. 
And  often,  especially  in  stormy  weather,  he  will  spend 
the  whole  day  in  such  a  bottom,  standing  around  most 
of  the  time  in  the  thickets  or  openings  between  or  in 
them  and  often  lying  down  in  them.  And  when  they 
are  not  hunted  much  you  will  be  quite  apt  to  find 
some  deer  in  such  a  place  at  any  time  of  day. 

And  now  stop.  There  is  a  dark,  dim  spot  in  yonder 
brush  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  away.  It  may  be  a 
bit  of  stump  or  log,  but  it  is  worth  investigation. 
But  you  cannot  go  ahead  and  do  so.  If  it  is  a  deer,  it 
is  one  at  rest;  and  on  ground  so  level  as  this  you  have 
no  chance  of  getting  close  enough.  But  here  is  a 
ridge  on  your  left  that  runs  within  fifty  yards  of  the 
suspicious  spot.  Stoop  low  and  retrace  your  steps 
until  you  can  get  around  behind  that  ridge  without 
being  seen,  go  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  on  the 
back  side  of  it,  then  cautiously  ascend  and  stop  the 
instant  you  catch  sight  of  the  flat  where  the  spot  is. 
And  remember  not  to  show  too  much  of  your  head. 

All  this  you  do  quite  well.  But  when  you  come  to 
look  over  the  ridge  there  is  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
trees  and  brush,  through  which  you  can  see  quite  dis- 
tinctly. You  have  learned,  however,  that  here  is  a 
critical  point,  and  that  there  is  great  danger  in  decid- 
ing too  quickly  that  there  is  nothing  in  sight.  You  stand 


108  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

some  five  minutes  carefully  scanning  every  spot  in 
sight  and  studying  every  bush.  And  your  patience  is 
at  last  rewarded.  For  suddenly  you  see  a  slight  move- 
ment and  a  delicate  head  nips  off  some  twigs  from  a 
bush  you  were  looking  directly  at  a  moment  ago,  and 
which  you  then  thought  you  could  see  entirely  through. 
And  now  you  see  the  body  and  the  points  of  a  pair  of 
small  horns  glisten  on  its  head.  Astonishing,  is  it 
not,  to  see  how  quickly  the  outlines  of  a  deer  begin  to 
develop  the  instant  you  know  it  is  one  ?  A  fine 
young  spike-buck  that  is.  And  now  do  not  forget 
your  last  shot  and  what  I  told  you  about  holding  a 
fine  sight. 

Bang!  goes  the  rifle.  The  buck  takes  two  jumps  and 
strikes  an  attitude  a  sculptor  would  envy.  He  is  evi- 
dently lost  in  wonder,  and  looks  about  as  if  in  doubt 
which  way  to  run,  or  whether  in  fact  there  be  any  oc- 
casion to  run  at  all.  A  rustic  youth,  perhaps,  that  has 
never  before  heard  a  rifle;  or  he  may  be  wild  enough, 
yet  be  bewildered  by  the  conformation  of  the  ridges, 
making  it  impossible  for  him  to  tell  whence  the  sound 
comes. 

Bang!  goes  another  shot.  The  buck  runs  a  few 
jumps  and  again  stops  and  looks  about  half  dazed. 

Bang!  goes  another  shot  from  the  rifle  that  now 
trembles  like  a  leaf  in  your  hand.  The  buck  takes  a 
few  more  jumps,  stops  for  a  second,  then  disappears 
in  a  high  rolling  wavy  line  of  dark  gray  and  white. 

You  think  you  took  a  good  aim  that  time  and  were 
quite  cool  ? 

Well,  it  was  a  decided  improvement  upon  the  last 
shot.  But  you  were  the  victim  of  an  error  into  which 
the  expert  often  falls — overshooting  on  a  down-hill 
shot.  The  tendency  to  do  this  is  one  of  the  curious 


THE  FIRST  SHOT  AT  A    DEER.  109 

things  about  rifle-shooting  on  game.  Even  on  a  long 
shot,  where  one  would  suppose  the  natural  drop  of 
the  ball  from  the  line  of  sight  would  overbalance  any 
error  of  elevation,  there  is  continual  danger  of  it. 
This  is  no  optical  illusion,  nor  is  there  any  deflection 
of  the  lines  of  light  to  cause  it.  It  is  simply  from 
catching  too  much  of  the  front  sight  without  knowing 
it,  and  from  holding  too  high  upon  your  game  be- 
cause you  are  looking  down  upon  it.  The  next  time 
make  the  front  sight  the  most  prominent  object  of 
your  attention,  and  get  it  very  low  on  the  animal — 
not  more  than  one  third  of  the  way  from  the  lower 
edge  of  the  body. 

At  last  you  reach  the  old  chopping,  and  after  a  long 
tour  among  its  various  beauties  are  about  to  return 
home  disappointed  again,  when,  in  coming  along  an  old 
logging-road  that  leads  through  a  little  basin  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  "  slash,"  you  are  suddenly  riveted  to  the 
ground  by  an  unexpected  apparition.  Within  twenty- 
five  yards,  standing  full  broadside  toward  you  and  look- 
ing directly  at  you,  is  the  great-grandfather  of  all  the 
big  bucks  you  ever  heard  or  read  of.  He  stands  like 
a  statue  of  glossy  fur,  with  neck  as  thick  as  a  water- 
pail,  wide-branching,  full-tined  horns  all  glistening 
in  the  sun,  bright  staring  eyes,  and  great  flaring  gray 
ears  turned  directly  at  you.  Where  he  came  from  or 
how  he  got  there  you  know  not.  You  heard  nothing 
move  and  saw  nothing  move.  He  probably  rose 
directly  out  of  his  bed,  and  you  may  find  it  beneath 
him.  This  is  one  of  those  occasional  visitations  of 
pure  good  fortune  which  may  come  to  the  most  ver- 
dant of  bunglers  and  delude  him  with  the  idea  that 
he  is  a  mighty  hunter.  Even  the  oldest  and  wildest 
of  deer  is  liable  once  in  a  while  to  get  out  of  bed 


110  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

slightly  dazed.  Perhaps  he  has  fallen  into  a  doze  or 
into  one  of  those  reveries  that  all  animals  appear  to 
indulge  in  at  times,  and  the  sudden  alarm  has  turned 
his  head  a  bit. 

However  he  is  here,  and  something  must  be  done; 
and  rather  promptly,  too.  A  cold  shiver  descends 
like  a  shower-bath  upon  you,  your  hand  trembles  like 
an  aspen  leaf,  and  the  sights  tremble  all  over  the  body 
of  your  target  as  you  raise  the  rifle.  Your  previous 
misses;  the  necessity  of  making  this  last  chance  for 
to-day  count;  and,  what  is  worst  of  all,  the  thought  of 
the  large  amount  of  toothsome  tidbits  beneath  that 
shiny  fur, — all  these  make  you  tremble  still  more. 

Put  down  the  rifle  and  take  a  second's  breathing- 
space.  Precious  as  time  is,  there  is  a  stronger  prospect 
of  his  standing  than  of  your  hitting  him  in  your  pres- 
ent state  of  tremor. 

You  cannot  wait?  Go  on,  then.  But  shoot  at  the 
lower  edge  of  his  body,  just  where  the  fore-leg  appears 
to  join  it. 

Bang  !  goes  the  rifle.  The  buck  gives  a  sudden  start 
and  plunges  away  through  the  thickest  brush  and 
briers  with  the  speed  of  a  race-horse. 

You  had  another  form  of  "buck  ague,"  a  little  dif- 
ferent from  the  kind  I  told  you  of  in  the  story,  but 
often  quite  as  effective.  It  is  quite  common  to  sup- 
pose that  the  "  buck  ague"  does  not  trouble  one  after 
one  or  two  shots.  But  it  is  liable  to  occur  for  a  long 
time,  and  you  will  have  to  shoot  many  a  deer  and 
miss  many  another  one  before  you  can  shoot  steadily. 
Even  then  you  cannot  always  do  it,  for  a  certain 
amount  of  tremor  is  liable  to  attack  any  one  on  a 
long  or  very  fine  shot,  especially  when  very  anxious 
to  get  something  for  a  vacant  larder.  I  doubt,  too, 


THE  FIRST  SHOT  AT  A    DEER.  Ill 

if  any  one  of  fine  sensibilities,  and  who  hunts  only 
for  the  love  of  hunting,  can  ever  acquire  the  butcher's 
coolness  when  in  the  imposing  presence  of  noble  game. 
The  only  remedy  for  this  when  excessive  is  to  stop 
and  rest  a  while  whenever  you  can.  But  if  the  game 
is  on  foot  and  alarmed,  you  have  little  time  for  this. 
You  must  then  shoot  with  a  trembling  gun,  and  your 
only  safety  will  be  to  shoot  at  least  six  inches  lower 
than  you  otherwise  would.  Because  you  are  in  such 
case  certain  to  see  twice  as  much  of  the  front  sight  as 
you  should  see.  This  will  not  do,  however,  on  a  long 
shot.  There  you  must  wait  for  your  hand  to  get 
steady,  unless  you  can  get  a  rest  without  moving  too 
much  in  sight  of  the  deer. 

But  do  not  give  up  to  despair  just  yet.  Remember 
the  advice  about  following  a  deer  you  have  shot  at. 
Did  you  not  notice  a  convulsive  jerk  about  that  buck's 
manner  of  getting  under  way  ?  Did  you  not  notice 
that  instead  of  the  white  waving  tail  you  have  before 
seen  adorning  a  glossy  rump,  it  was  carried  down  and 
close  to  the  body  ?  Did  you  not  notice  a  plunging 
heaviness  in  his  gait  very  different  from  the  airy  elas- 
ticity you  have  seen  in  the  gait  of  others  ?  Did  you 
not  see  that  he  tore  through  brush  when  there  was 
enough  open  ground  for  him  to  chose,  and  that  he 
made  as  much  smashing  of  brush  as  a  wild  bull  could 
have  made?  It  will  certainly  repay  you  to  follow 
those  tracks. 

The  ground  where  he  stood  reveals  neither  blood 
nor  hair.  But  never  mind;  your  rifle  is  small.  His 
shoulders  are  thick  ;  the  ball  may  not  have  passed 
through.  Let  us  take  the  track,  which  will  be  easily 
followed  as  long  as  he  keeps  on  running. 

Here  is  the  first  jump  beyond   the  bush  where  he 


112  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

disappeared.  But  there  is  no  blood.  The  next  one  is 
eight  or  nine  feet  beyond — a  good  sign,  for  if  unhurt 
he  would  have  cleared  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  on  such  a 
down-hill  slope  as  this.  The  next  one,  and  the  next, 
and  the  next,  for  eight  or  ten  jumps,  are  all  right,  but 
only  eight  or  nine  feet  apart.  But  the  next  one  is 
closer,  and  the  hoof-prints  in  it  are  wider  apart  from 
each  other  than  they  were  a  while  ago.  Aha  !  Look 
at  the  next.  He  is  staggering  as  surely  as  you  live. 
Hold  your  rifle  ready  and  look  well  ahead,  for  it  is 
just  possible  that  he  is  still  on  foot;  or  if  he  has  fallen, 
he  may  possibly  rise.  But  he  is  probably  dead. 

And  now  the  marks  of  jumps  grow  closer  together, 
while  the  four  tracks  composing  them  are  wider  still. 
And  now  they  cease,  and  the  trail  becomes  a  trot, 
long-plunging  and  staggering.  A  few  more  yards 
and  your  buck  lies  dead  against  a  log  he  could  not 
get  over.  He  is  shot  in  the  shoulder,  but  nearly  a 
foot  above  the  lower  line  of  his  body.  Do  you  see 
now  how  you  would  have  fared  if  you  had  fired  at 
your  own  sweet  will  instead  of  aiming  where  I  told 
you  ? 


J?  UN N ING-  TIME.  113 


CHAPTER  X. 

RUNNING-TIME. 

STILL-HUNTING  is  not  a  system  of  any  special  tricks 
any  more  than  sparring  is.  The  art  of  self-defense 
consists  in  the  rapid,  almost  automatic,  application  of 
a  very  few  principles  deeply  founded  in  common- 
sense.  Any  one  knows  that  a  quick  blow  is  better 
than  a  slow  one;  that  a  straight  blow  is  better  than  a 
curving  one;  that  a  slight  parry  that  merely  turns 
aside  an  opponent's  blow  is  quite  as  effective  as  one 
that  knocks  it  aside,  and  much  more  easy  to  make 
quickly;  that  dodging  a  blow  is  often  better  than  stop- 
ping it;  that  the  left  hand  can  strike  as  hard  and 
quickly  as  the  right,  etc.  etc.  Yet,  strangely  enough, 
a  man  left  to  himself  falls  naturally  into  the  clumsy, 
awkward  methods  of  the  rural  boxer.  And  to  get 
him  into  the  most  natural,  easy,  and  common-sense 
way  of  striking,  parrying,  etc.,  requires  an  immense 
amount  of  instruction  and  drilling.  It  is  the  same 
with  still-hunting.  The  trick  part  of  it  amounts  to  al- 
most nothing.  The  principles  are  all  natural,  founded 
in  common-sense,  and  simple.  You  must  first  learn 
what  they  are,  and  especially  what  they  are  not.  Then 
they  must  be  followed  until  you  follow  them  uncon- 
sciously and  become  a  bundle  of  good  habits. 

We  have  now  gone  through  all  the  leading  princi- 
ples involved  in  still-hunting  in  the  woods  before  snow 
falls.  And  many  of  these  I  have  repeated  even  at  the 


114  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

risk  of  being  tedious;  for  I  well  know  their  extreme 
importance,  and  how  easily  one  forgets  them  just  at 
the  critical  moment.  The  principles  involved  in  track- 
ing and  in  hunting  open  ground  will  be  given  farther 
on,  and  the  same  effort  made  to  impress  them  upon 
the  memory.  Any  more  illustration  of  plain  hunting 
in  the  woods  before  snow  would  now  be  too  tiresome 
on  account  of  the  repetition  of  the  leading  principles 
we  have  already  seen.  Moreover,  to  follow  out  in  de- 
tail all  the  varying  scenes  of  the  still-hunt  and  all  the 
special  modifications  of  general  principles  rendered 
necessary  from  time  to  time  by  change  of  ground, 
wind,  light,  actions  of  the  deer,  etc.,  would  swell  this 
book  to  a  size  that  would  seal  its  fate  at  once.  We 
will  therefore  pass  on  to  what  is  known  among  hun- 
ters as  the  "  running-time." 

The  expressions  "rutting -time"  and  "running- 
time"  are  generally  used  to  mean  the  same  thing. 
But  the  "  running-time"  is  really  only  the  climax  of 
the  "rutting-time." 

The  "rutting-time"  begins  at  different  times  in  differ- 
ent sections,  depending  upon  climate  and  elevation. 
And  even  in  any  one  place  it  is  difficult  to  say  just 
when  it  begins  and  when  it  ends.  But  at  periods 
varying  from  September  to  December,  inclusive  of 
those  months,  the  does  will  be  in  season.  And  in  the 
North  and  West  this  is  about  the  time  of  the  first 
heavy  frosts. 

For  several  weeks  before  the  does  are  ready  the 
bucks  begin  to  get  uneasy.  Their  necks  swell  to  an 
unusual  thickness,  as  you  noticed  in  the  one  you  shot 
yesterday.  They  keep  on  foot  later  in  the  morning 
and  start  out  earlier  in  the  afternoon.  They  roam 
more  widely  than  before;  so  much  so  that  it  becomes 


£  UNNING-  TIME.  115 

a  tedious  task  to  track  them  unless  the  track  be 
very  fresh  and  it  be  quite  late  in  the  morning.  You 
have  doubtless  on  your  last  few  hunts  noticed  places 
where  the  ground  had  been  pawed  and  scraped  bare 
in  spots  two  feet  or  more  in  diameter,  and  that  on 
this  bare  spot  were  unmistakable  tracks  of  a  big  hoof. 
You  saw,  too,  some  bushes  that  had  been  bent, 
twisted,  and  broken  by  horns,  very  different  in  appear- 
ance from  the  marks  you  saw  some  time  since  of 
frayed  bark  on  sapling  brush,  etc.,  and  which  was 
done  by  the  buck  rubbing  the  velvet  from  his  horns 
late  in  summer.  The  brush  now  looks  as  if  worsted 
in  a  fight  with  a  pair  of  horns.  And  such  is  the  case. 

These  signs  show  the  beginning  of  "  running-time." 
But  as  yet  there  is  no  difference  of  which  you  can 
take  advantage. 

Though  a  doe  is  still  occasionally  seen  in  company 
with  a  buck,  the  majority  of  them  now  keep  away 
from  him.  And  he  spends  a  large  portion  of  his  time 
traveling  about  in  search  of  them.  This  he  generally 
does  on  a  walk  and  with  head  well  down.  At  first  he 
does  this  only  early  in  the  morning  and  late  in  the 
evening.  But  as  the  season  advances  his  ardor  in- 
creases, and  for  ten  or  twelve  days  he  follows  them, 
often  on  a  half-walk  and  half-trot,  varied  at  times 
with  a  clumsy  gallop  very  different  from  the  graceful 
canter  with  which  he  vacates  the  vicinity  of  danger. 
And  at  the  height  of  this  time  he  often  spends  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  in  this  amusement. 

During  the  height  of  the  season  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  a  doe  to  be  pursued  by  three  or  four  and 
even  more  bucks,  one  after  the  other.  They  are  not 
together,  but  a  short  distance  apart.  Generally  the 
biggest  one  is  ahead,  and  the  procession  tapers  off  to 


116  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

a  two-year-old  or  so,  keeping  a  respectful  distance  in 
the  rear.  But  sometimes  they  come  together,  and 
then  there  is  a  clattering  of  horns,  flashing  of  greenish- 
blue  eyes,  and  an  elevation  of  hair  that  is  decidedly 
entertaining  to  one  who  can  keep  his  finger  from 
the  trigger  long  enough  to  "see  it  out." 

If  at  the  time  when  a  doe  is  pursued  by  one  or 
more  of  these  ardents  a  hunter  happens  to  be  upon 
her  course,  either  before  or  after  she  passes,  he  may 
be  overwhelmed  with  a  perfect  avalanche  of  success 
before  he  knows  it.  A  deer  running  on  a  gallop  is 
always  blind  enough  to  anything  ahead  of  him  that 
does  not  move.  But  when  thus  inflamed  with  passion 
the  buck  is  so  much  so  that  he  often  does  not  care 
even  for  a  thing  that  does  move  a  little,  and  will 
sometimes  charge  past  or  nearly  upon  the  hunter  in 
spite  of  all  bleating,  whistling,  or  any  other  noise 
with  which  the  hunter  may  try  to  stop  him.  The 
havoc  wrought  in  a  novice's  nervous  organization  by 
such  an  onset  may  well  be  imagined;  and  fortunate  is 
he  if  he  has  any  nerve  left  by  the  time  the  others  ar- 
rive, which  is  generally  in  a  very  few  minutes,  or  even 
seconds. 

I  have  myself  never  seen  more  than  three  bucks 
after  one  doe,  and  that  but  once;  but  I  know  several 
well-authenticated  cases  of  four  and  five,  and  one  case 
of  seven  being  killed  behind  one  doe  in  less  than 
fifteen  minutes,  so  well  attested  that  I  feel  obliged  to 
believe  it. 

But  all  such  cases  as  even  four  or  five  are  now  the 
rare  exception,  and  one  might  spend  the  whole  run- 
ning-time without  ever  getting  on  the  course  of  a 
buck  following  a  doe  either  in  company  or  alone. 


RUNNING-TIME.  117 

And  if  you  do  not  thus  get  on  their  course  you  are  no 
better  off  than  if  it  were  not  "running-time." 

I  have  seen  some  very  silly  stuff  in  print  about  the 
ease  with  which  any  blockhead  can  kill  a  deer  in  "  run- 
ning-time." This  always  comes  from  the  advocates 
of  driving  deer  with  hounds — men  who  generally  know 
nothing  of  still-hunting,  but  think  it  necessary  to  de- 
fend hounding  by  condemning  still-hunting.  If  one 
happens  on  the  right  runway  and  does  not  get  flur- 
ried when  the  procession  comes,  this  is  true  enough. 
But  unless  he  happens  upon  the  course  of  a  doe,  he 
can  do  nothing  more  than  at  any  other  time. 

It  is  said  "  all  one  has  to  do  is  to  lie  along  a  run- 
way and  shoot." 

Now  unless  deer  are  extremely  plenty  the  chances 
of  getting  on  a  runway  likely  to  be  used  that  day  for 
such  a  parade  are  all  against  the  hunter.  And  there 
is  absolutely  nothing  by  which  the  most  experienced 
hunter  can  decide  what  runway  deer  will  take  at  such 
a  time  unless  he  has  already  seen  them  in  motion. 

The  habits  of  deer  in  forming  and  traveling  in  run- 
ways or  paths  are  peculiar,  and  vary  with  localities 
in  a  way  difficult  to  reduce  to  rule.  In  nearly  all  coun- 
tries deer  will  form  runways  when  the  snow  gets  deep, 
but  by  that  time  they  are  generally  so  poor  that  only 
the  brute  will  molest  them.  On  bare  ground  deer  will 
generally  form  runways  in  very  hilly,  rocky,  brushy, 
or  swampy  ground.  But  it  is  equally  certain  that  on 
such  ground  they  often  do  not  form  them. 

They  also,  on  some  kinds  of  ground,  change  their 
runways  so  often  that  when  you  find  one  you  cannot 
feel  certain  that  it  will  be  traveled  again  at  all.  And 
they  often  have  so  many  that  you  cannot  decide 
whether  the  next  travel  upon  any  one  will  be  to-day 


118  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

or  next  week.  Again,  a  road  made  by  a  small  band  of 
deer  passing  only  once  over  a  piece  of  soft  ground 
may  have  all  the  appearance  of  a  runway  and  yet 
never  again  be  used.  The  best  thing  to  do  with  run- 
ways, except  for  hounding,  is  to  let  them  entirely 
alone.  One  can  do  an  immense  amount  of  aggravat- 
ing waiting  at  even  the  best  of  them.  And  if  deer  are 
plenty  enough  to  make  it  worth  while  to  watch  a  run- 
way at  all,  you  can  generally  do  better  by  keeping  in 
motion,  as  you  have  done  before  "  running-time." 
Though  the  "  rutting-time"  is  long,  the  part  of  it  that 
will  be  of  much  aid  to  the  novice  is  very  short;  while 
the  ease,  advantages,  and  pleasures  of  lying  by  a  run- 
way and  taking  in  a  string  of  bucks  are  most  absurdly 
exaggerated.  Moreover,  the  does,  yearlings,  and  fawns 
are  just  as  wild  now  as  at  any  other  time.  And  even 
the  old  buck,  though  he  may  be  a  crazy  fool  while 
actually  running,  yet  that  same  buck,  when  he  cools 
down  and  goes  off  to  feed  or  lie  down,  is  just  about 
as  wary  and  hard  to  approach  as  at  any  other  time  of 
year.  When  the  leaves  are  dry  and  stiff,  or  from  any 
cause  the  woods  cannot  be  traversed  quietly,  then 
runway  watching  may  do. 

Otherwise  the  best  way  to  utilize  "running-time" 
for  both  sport  and  success  is  to  hunt  just  about  as 
we  did  before,  but  with  a  slight  change  of  ground. 
In  this  way  we  shall  lose  no  other  advantages  and  re- 
tain all  the  advantages  of  the  "running-time."  And 
it  certainly  has  advantages  which  can  neither  be  ig- 
nored nor  despised. 

As  in  your  other  still-hunting,  you  must  not  let  the 
sun  tread  upon  your  heels,  but  should  be  in  the  woods 
early.  And  you  might  as  well  go,  as  before,  directly 
to  the  oak  ridges,  because  the  does  and  yearlings  and 


J?  UNNING-  TIME.  119 

fawns  will  not  neglect  eating,  as  the  buck  now  sometimes 
does,  and  they  will  be  found  in  about  the  same  places 
as  before.  Moreover,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  aside  from 
any  foolish  notions  about  the  superior  glory  of  bag- 
ging a  big  buck,  or  having  a  "head"  to  mount  as  a 
"trophy" — genuine  "vanity  of  vanities" — the  does, 
fawns,  and  yearlings  are  apt  to  be  far  the  best  game. 
A  big  buck  is  now  far  more  apt  to  be  an  old  fool  than 
a  fawn  ever  is  to  be  a  young  fool,  and  the  adage  "  No 
fool  to  an  old  fool "  never  had  a  truer  application 
than  when  applied  to  an  ardent  buck  when  running. 
So  that  when  you  kill  a  fawn  of  six  or  eight  months 
old  at  this  time  it  is  a  much  greater  achievement  than 
to  kill  a  buck  when  after  a  doe.  The  bucks,  too,  at 
this  time  are  apt  to  be  strong  and  musky  in  flavor. 
Some  of  them  become  intolerably  so  and  cannot  be 
eaten.  It  is  a  common  idea  that  the  removal  of  the 
scrotum  and  penis  prevents  this.  But  this  is  mainly 
an  idea.  It  may  do  some  good;  but  the  fact  is  that 
some  bucks,  even  with  thickly  swelled  necks,  are  not 
at  all  strong  flavored,  while  others  are  as  rank  as  a 
muskrat  all  over,  in  spite  of  the  instant  removal  of 
the  genital  organs,  and  this  flavor  cannot  be  elimin- 
ated in  any  way  so  as  to  make  it  palatable  to  any  one 
but  a  city  snob  who  eats  venison  for  style. 

Still,  some  of  the  bucks  are  good,  and  the  younger 
they  are  the  more  apt  are  they  to  be  good.  And  to 
find  them  you  should  keep  a  keen  watch  around  the 
heads  of  big  ravines  and  along  their  dividing  ridges; 
also  along  creek-bottoms,  flats,  and  hollows  where 
there  is  some  brush,  but  not  too  thick.  But  other 
ground  must  not  be  neglected,  and  a  good  watch 
should  be  kept  everywhere;  for  a  buck  is  apt  to  get 


120  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

on  the  trail  of  a  doe  at  any  point  and  overtake  her 
anywhere. 

If  the  ground  be  very  broken,  the  ridges  high,  and 
the  ravines  deep,  you  will  be  apt  to  find  runways 
along  the  bottoms,  up  the  sides,  and  around  the  heads 
of  ravines,  especially  crossing  the  dividing  ridge  be- 
tween the  head  of  one  ravine  and  that  of  another 
running  towards  it  from  an  opposite  direction.  You 
will  also  find  them  along  or  crossing  the  "divide"  be- 
tween ravines  running  in  the  same  direction.  If  you 
find  runways  numerous  or  well  traveled,  you  might 
as  well  spend  the  day  in  lounging  around  such  places, 
taking  a  seat  from  time  to  time  upon  some  ridge  that 
commands  a  good  view  of  both  ridges  and  hollows 
and  their  heads.  And  even  where  deer  do  not  form 
runways,  if  you  find  them  plenty  it  will  be  worth 
while  to  do  the  same  thing  at  this  time  of  year.  But 
do  not  allow  any  affinity  that  may  spring  up  between 
you  and  a  comfortable  log  to  become  too  lasting, 
unless  there  are  well-traveled  runways  and  deer  are 
quite  plenty. 

When  moving  on  a  runway  look  frequently  behind 
you  as  well  as  ahead,  for  a  deer  is  as  liable  to  come 
from  one  direction  as  from  another.  When  you  see 
fresh  tracks  of  the  size  of  a  doe's  hoof  it  is  well  to 
wait  there  some  time,  for  a  buck  may  be  from  five  to 
thirty  minutes  behind  a  doe  as  well  as  close  to  her. 
Should  you  see  the  doe  and  shoot  her,  or  should  she 
escape,  remain  there  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  keep- 
ing a  keen  watch  in  the  direction  from  which  she 
came.  It  by  no  means  follows,  though,  that  a  doe  has 
a  buck  behind  her,  or  that  there  is  more  than  one  buck 
behind  her.  Where  deer  are  plenty  the  chances  are 
the  other  way.  Should  you  see  a  buck  coming  to- 


£  UN N ING-  TIME,  121 

wards  you,  be  in  no  haste.  If  you  are  on  the  course 
of  the  doe,  there  is  no  probability  of  his  sheering  to 
either  side  if  you  keep  still.  Let  him  come  directly 
towards  you.  If  walking,  you  can  generally  halt  him 
with  a  bleat.  But  if  you  can  shoot  well  enough,  and 
are  cool  enough,  it  is  best  to  halt  him  with  a  ball,  for 
there  is  some  little  risk  of  his  getting  away  if  you  try 
otherwise  to  halt  him.  When  you  have  shot  one 
buck,  remove  the  scrotum  and  slit  him  at  once  in  the 
chest  like  a-  hog — cutting  the  throat  does  not  half 
bleed  a  deer — and  then  go  back  a  few  paces  on  his 
course  and  wait  for  a  successor,  etc. 

It  is  better  in  the  long-run  to  keep  slowly  moving 
for  the  most  of  the  time.  And  your  eye  must  be  as 
keen  as  ever.  A  deer,  even  when  moving,  is  often 
very  hard  to  see.  They  are  not  only  low  along  the 
ground,  but  are  very  fast  and  silent  walkers.  Even 
after  you  see  one  it  can  slip  out  of  your  sight  with 
wonderful  ease,  and  this,  too,  where  it  suspects  noth- 
ing, but  its  disappearance  is  entirely  accidental.  You 
must  remember  this  in  all  cases  where  you  once  get 
your  eye  upon  a  moving  deer,  and  either  try  to  get 
closer  to  it  or  try  to  get  ahead  of  it  upon  its  course, 
so  as  to  wait  for  it.  A  very  big  buck  can  slip  out  of 
sight,  horns  and  all,  in  brush  so  thin  and  low  that  you 
would  never  dream  of  his  escape. 

As  a  rule,  the  following  of  tracks  in  "  running-time" 
is  not  remunerative.  The  bucks  roam  for  miles,  and 
the  does  travel  farther  than  at  other  times.  Still, 
where  you  find  fresh  tracks  leading  to  a  "slash,"  tow- 
ard the  middle  of  the  day  it  will  be  well  to  go  there 
if  you  have  snow  to  make  the  tracking  easy.  And 
yearlings  and  fawns  you  may  track  as  at  other  times. 


THE  STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HUNTING     ON     SNOW. 

THE  climax  of  pleasure  and  generally  of  skill  is 
reached  in  tracking  up  your  game  so  as  to  get  a  good 
shot  at  it.  Many  of  the  best  still-hunters  will  not 
hunt  at  all  until  snow  comes,  and  in  the  Eastern  and 
Northwestern  States  the  season  may  be  said  to  com- 
mence only  "when  snow  flies,"  as  they  say  in  the 
woods. 

Tracking  upon  snow  and  upon  bare  ground  are 
generically  the  same,  but  specifically  so  different  as  to 
require  separate  treatment.  And  tracking  upon  snow 
being  the  easiest,  we  will  consider  it  first. 

To  follow  a  deer's  track  upon  snow  is  so  easy  a 
matter  that  almost  any  one  of  any  tact  at  ail  can  do  it 
with  a  trifling  bit  of  practice  in  judging  of  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  marks  and  the  snow  thrown  out  ahead  of 
the  footprints.  As  we  go  on  we  will  notice  the 
prominent  features  of  a  fresh  trail. 

Two  very  natural  mistakes  are,  however,  apt  to  be 
made  by  the  novice  who  hunts  upon  snow: 

i st.  That  a  fresh  trail  is  to  be  followed  as  a  matter 
of  course. 

2d.   That  he  is  to  follow  directly  upon  it. 

The  advantage  of  snow  for  still-hunting  lies  not 
alone  in  enabling  one  to  locate  a  deer  and  comeoip 
with  him.  It  lies  quite  as  much  in  softening  the 
ground  and  deadening  the  sound  of  your  steps;  in 


HUNTING  ON  SNOW.  123 

making  a  background  upon  which  you  may  the  more 
easily  discover  your  game;  in  enabling  you  to  speedily 
ascertain  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  deer  about 
you,  the  direction  they  have  .taken,  what  they  were 
doing,  and  how  long  since  they  passed,  etc.  etc.  To 
follow  up  tracks  is  often  folly.  An  old  buck  in  •'  run- 
ning-time" will  often  lead  you  too  longa  race.  A  doe 
may  then  do  the  same.  If  tracks  consist  of  jumps  or 
half-jumps,  or  half-trot  or  half-walk  and  half-jump,  it 
generally  shows  that  the  deer  are  alarmed,  especially 
if  there  are  places  where  they  have  stopped  and 
turned  around  or  sideways  to  look  back.  It  will  then 
be  quite  useless  to  follow  them  except  as  hereafter 
directed.  If  the  deer  are  much  hunted  by  still- 
hunters,  they  will  be  so  likely  to  watch  their  back 
track  even  when  lying  down  that  it  will  be  quite  vain 
to  keep  on  the  track.  Where  the  ground  is  very 
brushy  or  very  level  it  is  rarely  advisable  to  follow  a 
trail  unless  the  deer  are  very  tame  or  you  can  use  a 
cow-bell  or  horse.  And  where  deer  are  plenty  and 
you  are  well  acquainted  with  the  ground,  knowing  all 
the  ridges,  passes,  feeding-places,  and  lying-down 
ground,  it  is  often  better  to  let  tracks  entirely  alone 
and  hunt  as  you  have  done  heretofore — to  find  them  on 
foot  at  feeding-time,  or  standing  in  or  around  thickets 
during  the  day,  or  lying  down.  This  is  the  course 
pursued  by  many  of  the  best  hunters  quite  as  often 
as  tracking.  They  use  the  tracks  only  as  a  general 
guide,  and  depend  mainly  upon  the  other  advantages 
of  the  snow  above  mentioned. 

But  whether  you  follow  tracks  or  not,  there  are 
some  points  ever  to  be  remembered: 

i st.  That  while  snow  enables  you  to  see  a  deer 
much  farther  as  well  as  more  quickly  and  distinctly 


124  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

than  upon  bare  ground,  it  also  gives  the  deer  pre- 
cisely the  same  advantage  over  you,  an  advantage 
which  you  cannot  in  heavy  timber  avoid  by  all  the 
white  clothes  and  hats  you  can  invent. 

2d.  That  though  snow  deadens  the  sharpness  or  dis- 
tinctness of  sounds,  yet  dull  sounds,  like  the  crushing 
of  dead  or  rotten  sticks  beneath  the  foot,  will  be  con- 
veyed along  the  ground  as  well  as  ever,  and  perhaps 
even  better  if  the  snow  be  wet. 

3d.  That  it  may  make  an  entirely  new  noise  by 
grinding  or  packing  under  your  foot  when  deep  and 
dry,  unless  you  work  your  foot  into  it  toe  first;  or 
when  a  little  stiff  or  crusty  from  thaw  or  rain,  it  may 
make  a  noise  worse  than  any  it  hides.  And  both 
these  new  noises  being  conveyed  along  the  ground,  and 
being  unmistakable  in  their  character,  will  frighten  a 
wild  deer  farther  and  more  effectually  than  any  other 
kind  of  noise.  And  in  no  respect  must  any  of  the 
caution  to  be  observed  in  hunting  on  bare  ground  be 
relaxed. 

Not  only  is  it  a  great  pleasure  to  work  up  a  trail, 
but  where  deer  are  scarce  it  is  often  essential  to  suc- 
cess. And  as  hunting  on  snow  without  tracking  does 
not  materially  differ  from  what  we  have  already  been 
over,  we  will  pass  at  once  to  tracking. 

About  all  the  descriptions  of  tracking  deer  that  it 
has  ever  been  my  lot  to  see  were  nothing  but  exag- 
gerated rabbit-hunts,  such  as  when  a  boy  I  used  to 
take  before  breakfast  on  the  first  "  tracking-snow"  of 
the  season.  They  all  depict  a  man  sneaking  along  on 
the  trail  until  he  comes  up  with  the  deer,  which  he 
knocks  over  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  deer  is  big- 
ger than  a  rabbit;  its  distance  from  the  hunter  is  a 
few  yards  greater  than  the  distance  the  rabbit  gener- 


"How   did   he   know    I   was   coming?" 


HUNTING  ON  SNOW.  125 

ally  is;  and  a  rifle  is  used  instead  of  a  shot-gun.  In 
all  else  they  are  par  excellence  rabbit-hunts.  Where 
deer  are  very  tame,  one  may  sometimes  be  tracked 
and  bagged  almost  as  easily  as  a  rabbit.  But  even 
then  it  is  the  rare  exception.  And  where  they  are 
wild,  the  exception  is  so  very  rare  that  it  may  be 
thrown  entirely  out  of  consideration.  In  no  way  can 
you  get  so  good  an  idea  of  what  tracking  very  wild 
deer  is  as  by  seeing  what  it  is  not.  And  in  accord- 
ance with  our  plan  we  will  see  first  what  mistakes  you 
will  naturally  fall  into,  and  how  to  avoid  them. 

A  light  feathery  snow  of  about  two  inches  in  depth 
which  fell  last  evening  now  covers  the  ground.  And 
again  we  tread  the  woods  by  the  time  it  is  light 
enough  to  distinguish  a  deer.  For  the  earlier  we  get 
upon  a  track  the  less  the  distance  we  shall  have  to 
follow  it,  and  the  more  likely  we  shall  be  to  find  our 
game  on  foot  instead  of  lying  down  where  we  may 
have  to  depend  upon  a  running  shot. 

Here  is  a  track  already.  But  it  will  not  be  best  to 
follow  it,  as  it  was  made  last  night  soon  after  the 
snow  ceased  falling.  Compare  it  with  your  own 
track  and  see  how  the  snow  thrown  out  ahead  of  the 
hole  lacks  the  sparkle  of  that  thrown  from  your  track. 
You  see,  too,  that  the  edges  of  the  hole  made  by  the 
deer's  foot  do  not  glisten  like  the  edges  of  the  one 
you  have  made.  All  this  is  because  the  crystals  of 
snow  have  lost  their  keenness  of  edge  by  evaporation 
— a  process  that  takes  place  in  the  very  driest  snow 
and  coldest  air.  Stoop  low  and  examine  the  deer's 
tracks  closely,  and  notice  a  little  fallen  snow  and  a 
few  faint  particles  of  fine  dust  from  the  trees  in  them. 
This  dust  is  always  falling  even  in  the  very  stillest 
weather.  But  you  need  nothing  more  reliable  than 


126  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  mere  appearance  of  the  snow  around  the  edge 
and  in  front  of  the  track.  With  a  few  days'  practice 
you  can  tell  a  trail  five  minutes  old  from  one  five 
hours  old,  even  in  dry  snow.  But  we  will  leave  this 
trail,  for  we  shall  surely  find  fresher  ones. 

Here  we  come  to  one  that  is  quite  fresh.  But  the 
size  of  the  footprints,  as  well  as  their  distance  apart, 
shows  the  trail  to  be  that  of  a  large  buck.  As  it  is 
the  height  of  running-time  we  will  let  him  go. 

Ah!  Here  is  what  we  want — a  trail  of  a  doe  and 
two  fawns.  They  are  going,  too,  toward  the  acorn 
ridges — a  good  place  to  catch  them. 

With  watchful  eye  you  steal  cautiously  along  the 
trails.  These  lead  to  the  acorn  ridges,  and  here  they 
begin  to  separate.  The  deer  evidently  have  stopped 
traveling,  and  are  now  straggling  about  here  and 
there.  Your  common-sense  now  tells  you  that  they 
have  probably  stopped  to  feed  a  bit  here  and  may  be 
very  close,  perhaps  just  over  the  next  ridge.  There- 
fore you  redouble  your  caution  about  noise,  and  look 
more  keenly  than  ever  at  every  spot  that  can  pos- 
sibly be  a  bit  of  a  deer's  coat.  All  of  which  is  very 
well. 

In  a  moment  or  two  you  reach  the  top  of  the  first 
ridge,  and  a  good  long  look  at  all  the  ground  in  sight 
shows  you  no  deer.  But  you  find  where  deer  have 
pawed  up  the  snow  for  acorns.  The  trails,  too,  cross 
and  recross  each  other  here,  so  that  you  can  follow 
nothing.  And  they  become  mixed,  too,  with  other 
deer-tracks  until  you  are  quite  confused.  You  con- 
sider yourself  fully  equal,  however,  to  this  emergency, 
and  resolve  to  cut  the  knot  by  the  very  simple  device 
of  the  rabbit-tracker — a  circle. 

This  plan  is  correct  enough  in  itself.     But  why  do 


HUNTING   ON  SNOW.  127 

it  now?  If  the  deer  are  still  on  these  ridges  you 
need  not  follow  their  tracks  at  all,  but  look  for  them 
just  as  you  would  do  if  the  ridges  were  bare,  as  in 
your  previous  hunts.  Your  chances  of  seeing  them  in 
that  way  are  quite  good  enough.  And  by  the  amount 
and  variety  of  tracks  you  see  there  are  other  deer 
about,  and  some  are  probably  feeding  on  the  ridges 
this  very  minute.  Never  mind  the  tracks  now,  but 
slip  around  to  the  leeward  of  the  breeze  that  you  see 
is  just  beginning  to  sift  down  a  little  fine  snow  from 
the  tree-tops  above.  Do  not  lose  the  advantage  of 
the  wind  for  the  sake  of  following  tracks  now.  You 
can  follow  those  tracks  in  two  hours  as  well  as  you 
can  now;  and  if  the  deer  have  gone  away  to  lie  down 
or  lounge,  they  will  then  be  little  farther  away  than 
they  now  are.  Keep  to  the  leeward  and  remain  on 
these  ridges  at  least  an  hour  more. 

But  your  anxiety  to  follow  them  is  too  great,  and 
you  start  on  a  circle  to  find  their  trail  again.  In  five 
minutes  the  circle  is  completed.  Yet  your  stock  of 
information  on  the  subject  of  those  three  deer  remains 
unchanged.  You  find  only  confusion  worse  con- 
founded, a  complete  network  of  trails.  You  should 
have  made  your  circle  four  or  five  times  as  large  as 
you  did  make  it. 

You  see  this  mistake,  and  set  out  upon  a  much 
larger  circle  than  before.  And  while  doing  this,  one 
of  the  first  things  you  discover  is  a  series  of  long 
jumps  down  a  ridge  to  the  left.  Following  these 
back  as  before  advised,  to  find  how  you  lost  that 
deer,  you  find  that  he  was  feeding  just  over  a  ridge 
only  a  hundred  yards  from  where  you  began  your 
first  circle,  and  that  by  the  time  that  circle  was  half 
completed,  you  with  your  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground, 


128  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

— where  they  had  no  business  to  be, — came  directly 
into  his  sight. 

Two  hundred  yards  more  of  your  second  circle 
brings  you  to  another  object  of  peculiar,  often  pain- 
ful, interest  to  anxious  hunters — two  more  sets  of 
long  jumps  where  t\vo  yearlings  have  scattered  the 
snow,  leaves,  and  dirt  with  their  plunging  hoofs.  In 
the  excitement  of  your  circle  business  you  quite  over- 
looked the  little  matter  of  wind,  and  they  probably 
smelt  you.  Or  they  may  have  been  stampeded  by  the 
running  of  the  other  one,  for  he  must  have  passed 
somewhere  near  here.  And  the  running  of  a  deer  will 
nearly  always  alarm  every  deer  within  hearing  of  the 
sound  of  his  hoofs.  So  generally  will  they  take  alarm 
from  any  other  animal. 

By  the  time  your  circle  is  nearly  completed  you  find 
that  the  doe  and  two  fawns  have  left  the  ridges  and 
gone  across  a  flat  creek-bottom.  This  does  not,  how- 
ever, prove  your  circle  enterprise  a  profitable  one,  for 
you  could  easily  have  discovered  this  in  time  without 
throwing  away  the  prospects  you  had  for  a  shot  at  the 
other  three  deer. 

You  follow  the  trail  of  the  doe  and  fawns  across 
the  creek,  where  it  turns  and  goes  up  the  creek-bot- 
tom some  twenty  or  thirty  yards  from  the  creek. 
Thus  far  they  have  been  walking  along  nearly  to- 
gether, and  at  an  ordinary  pace.  But  now  the  trails 
are  separating  and  the  steps  get  shorter  and  more  ir- 
regular. Here  one  has  wandered  off  a  few  rods  to 
one  side  ;  here  another  has  stopped  at  a  bush  and 
nibbled  a  few  twigs  ;  there  the  old  one  has  been  trav- 
eling rather  aimlessly  around  and  through  a  patch 
of  black-haws.  All  these  signs  tell  you  to  be  very 
careful,  for  they  may  be  within  sight  at  this  instant, 


HUNTING  ON  SNOW.  129 

though  they  may  also  have  gone  on  half  a  mile  or 
more.  On  the  way  to  lie  down  deer  will  often  stop 
an  hour  or  two  in  such  a  place  to  browse  and  stand 
around  a  while.  That  is  what  these  have  been  doing, 
and  as  it  is  yet  early  they  may  yet  be  here. 

Priding  yourself  upon  your  caution  and  acuteness 
you  move  quietly  along,  with  rifle  ready  and  eyes 
piercing  every  bush  far  into  the  distance,  for  some 
three  hundred  yards.  There  on  the  other  side  of  a 
thin  patch  of  wild-plum  bushes  you  find  that  refresh- 
ing sight  with  which  your  eyes  are  already  so  familiar, 
the  long-jumps.  There  are  three  sets  of  them,  and 
all  beautifully  long.  At  first  you  are  inclined  to  ejac- 
ulate ;  but  your  chagrin  yields  at  once  to  wonder,  for 
a  glance  into  the  brush  shows  you  that  they  were  all 
on  foot  in  it  when  they  started.  Yet  the  brush  is  so 
thin  that  you  can  see  plainly  all  through  it,  and  you 
recognize  the  plum-patch  as  one  at  which  you  looked 
very  keenly  some  two  hundred  yards  back  and  thought 
then  that  you  could  see  distinctly  through  it. 

And  you  naturally  wonder  how  they  got  started. 
Well,  when  your  head  first  arrived  in  sight  of  that 
brush  they  were  standing  in  there,  two  of  them  brows- 
ing, the  other  looking  back  in  the  direction  from 
which  they  came.  You  have  already  been  told  of 
what  an  advantage  the  animal  that  is  at  rest  has  over 
the  one  that  is  moving.  You  have  also  learned  that 
an  animal  in  brush  can  see  out  much  better  than  one 
outside  can  see  in.  And  I  must  again  remind  you 
that  a  deer  standing  still  in  brush  is,  even  with  the 
aid  of  snow  as  a  background,  one  of  the  hardest 
things  in  the  world  to  detect  with  the  eye. 

But  you  cannot  comprehend  how  they  could  have 
run  without  your  seeing  them  at  all.  If  they  saw 


130  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

enough  of  your  head  to  take  the  alarm,  how  could 
their  whole  bodies  escape  your  eyes,  especially  when 
that  bit  of  brush  was  the  first  thing  on  which  your 
eyes  rested  when  you  came  in  sight  of  it  at  all  ?  It  is 
rather  a  puzzle,  it  is  true;  but  its  only  solution  is  this: 
a  deer's  eyes,  when  watching  his  back  track,  are  as 
keen  to  detect  a  motion  in  the  woods  as  are  those  of 
the  wildest  antelope  on  the  plain.  Some  people  who 
had  never  hunted  very  wild  deer  would  doubt  this, 
but  as  you  have  an  hour  or  two  now  of  time  that  is 
not  very  precious  I  will  show  you  how  extremely  true 
it  is.  It  will  reduce  your  opinion  of  yourself  consid- 
erably below  par,  but  it  will  reward  you  well  in  future, 
and  also  give  you  a  good  idea  of  the  general  futility 
of  following  upon  the  track  of  a  deer  that  you  have 
started. 

Let  us  follow,  then,  the  trail  of  these  three  and  see 
if  we  can  again  get  sight  of  them.  Do  not  try  to  get 
a  shot;  be  content  with  even  a  sight.  Go  right  ahead 
on  the  trail  and  look  into  the  woods  as  far  and  as 
keenly  as  you  can.  Nearly  half  a  mile  you  follow 
them,  the  long  jumps  still  continuing.  Here  they 
have  skipped  a  high  fallen  log,  and  in  three  places 
the  snow  is  switched  from  it  by  their  descending  tails. 
Here  one  has  smashed  through  a  bush,  scattering  snow 
and  dead  branches  around,  and  there  another  has 
struck  some  boggy  ground  and  splashed  mud  and 
water  around  in  fine  style.  But  suddenly  the  jumps 
slacken  to  a  trot  ;  in  a  few  yards  that  stops,  and  you 
find  where  they  have  stopped  and  huddled  up,  one 
standing  sideways,  the  other  two  turning  all  the  way 
around.  And  then  the  long  jumps  begin  again,  still 
longer  now  than  before. 

And  yet  the  ground  is  all  quite  open.     They  stopped 


HUNTING   ON  SNOW.  131 

behind  no  brush,  no  logs,  no  rising  ground,  nothing 
to  hide  them  from  your  sight.  Yet  it  is  evident  that 
they  stopped  here  and  looked  back,  and  that  they 
then  started  again  in  sudden  alarm.  Yet  the  wind 
and  the  distance  are  such  that  they  could  neither  have 
heard  nor  smelt  you.  They  must  therefore  have  seen 
you ;  yet  you  saw  nothing  of  them,  although  they 
were  under  full  headway.  Do  you  think  this  impossi- 
ble ?  Does  it  seem  that  the  second  run  must  have 
been  only  a  continuance  of  the  first  run?  Then  by 
all  means  follow  them  to  the  next  place  where  they 
stop  to  look  back  and  see  what  they  do  there. 

On,  on,  on,  on,  nearly  half  a  mile  farther  go  the 
tracks,  as  if  the  deer  were  in  a  hurdle-race  over  the 
biggest  logs  to  be  found.  Then  they  suddenly  stop 
and  huddle  up  ;  and  then  as  suddenly  go  on  again  in 
jumps  as  long  as  ever. 

And  so  you  might  keep  on  the  livelong  day,  seeing 
perhaps  two  or  three  times  a  faint  glimpse  of  dark 
evanescence  among  the  distant  trunks,  but  seeing 
nothing  long  enough  to  raise  the  rifle  upon,  and  four 
fifths  of  the  time  seeing  not  a  trace  of  game  at  all. 
And  yet  all  the  time  it  is  evident  that  the  deer  have 
each  time  seen  you.  And  five  times  out  of  six  such 
will  be  your  experience  with  very  wild  deer,  whether 
they  be  old  bucks  or  young  fawns.  The  sixth  time 
you  may  perhaps  get  a  long  standing  shot  or  a  closer 
running  one  in  the  course  of  half  a  day's  chase,  but 
neither  will  be  good  enough  to  give  you  much  pros- 
pect of  hitting. 

The  principal  difference  between  these  and  deer 
that  are  not  very  wild  is  that  you  will  generally  get 
sight  of  the  latter,  but  rarely  until  they  are  running 
away.  And  when  you  do  see  them  standing  it  will 


132  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

rarely  be  long  enough,  nor  will  they  generally  be  close 
enough,  for  anything  like  a  certain  shot.  This  applies 
to  the  latter  deer  only  when  they  have  once  been 
started.  Deer  that  are  not  very  wild  seldom  or  never 
have  the  trick  of  watching  back  upon  their  track  be- 
fore being  started. 

You  passed  a  fresh  track  of  a  big  buck  a  few  mo- 
ments ago  that  led  toward  the  slash.  He  has  gone 
there  to  rest  a  bit  after  his  morning  travels.  You  had 
better  try  him,  for  "  anybody  can  kill  a  buck  in  run- 
ning-time." At  least  that  is  what  they  say. 

You  start  off  upon  his  track  with  much  more  care 
than  you  did  upon  the  trail  of  the  others.  But  this  is 
only  time  wasted.  The  woods  here  are  quite  open  for 
several  hundred  yards,  and  as  far  as  you  can  see  there 
are  no  windfalls,  brush-patches,  or  brushy  ridges. 
There  is  no  probability  that  he  has  stopped  anywhere 
along  such  ground  as  this  when,  if  you  remember  the 
woods  as  you  should  do,  the  old  slash  is  less  than  half 
a  mile  in  the  direction  the  track  is  leading. 

Reaching  the  slash  }rou  find  the  trail  winds  over  a 
ridge  and  down  into  a  little  basin.  You  look  very 
long  and  carefully  into  the  basin,  thoroughly  inspect- 
ing all  the  brush  it  contains.  Seeing  nothing,  you 
descend  and  follow  the  trail  across  it  and  up  the  end 
of  a  ridge  that  juts  into  it.  On  the  point  of  this  ridge, 
in  a  clump  of  low  briers,  you  find  a  large,  fresh,  warm 
bed,  with  the  well-known  long  jumps  leading  away 
from  it. 

Now  stoop  low  in  this  bed  and  you  can  still  see 
every  step  of  the  way  you  came  for  a  hundred  and 
fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  back.  While  your  eyes 
were  intently  fixed  upon  the  track  he  saw  you  and 
departed. 


HUNTING  ON  SNOW.  133 

Now  what  was  the  use  in  keeping  your  eyes  so 
much  upon  the  track  ?  Can  you  not  tell  well  enough 
about  where  it  is  going  to  be  able  to  go  at  least  fifty 
yards  without  looking  at  it  ?  And  if  you  must  look 
at  it,  can  you  not  do  so  with  an  occasional  side  glance 
of  the  eye  that  docs  not  take  your  attention  from 
anything  beyond  ?  And  where  the  necessity  of  tread- 
ing so  constantly  in  the  tracks  ?  And  what  was  the 
use  in  going  into  that  basin  at  all  ?  Could  you  not 
just  as  well  have  wound  around  it  out  of  sight  behind 
this  ridge  to  the  right?  And  by  so  doing  could  you 
not  have  found  out  whether  the  buck  passed  out  of 
the  basin,  and  just  where  he  left  it,  quite  as  surely 
as  you  could  have  done  by  having  both  eyes  ,and  feet 
half  the  time  in  his  tracks  ?  Had  you  done  this  he 
would  not  have  seen  you  so  soon;  and  when  he  did 
see  you,  you  would  have  had  a  good  running  shot  at 
him. 

Turn  off  now  to  one  side  and  keep  down  along  the 
edge  of  the  "  slash,''  and  see  if  any  more  deer  have 
come  from  the  timber  to  lie  down  in  here. 

A  few  moments'  walk  brings  you  to  the  trail  of  two 
yearlings.  These  you  follow  for  quarter  of  a  mile 
into  the  "slash,"  using  all  your  care,  skill,  eyesight, 
and  caution  about  noise,  moving  not  over  half  a  mile 
an  hour,  working  each  foot  toe  first  through  the  snow 
so  as  to  feel  any  possible  stick  or  brush  that  may 
crack  beneath  it,  easing  off  an}'  twig  that  could  possibly 
scratch  on  your  clothes,  and  looking,  looking,  looking 
oh  so  keenly!  You  reap  at  last  a  common  reward  of 
honest,  patient  toil — a  sight  of  two  sets  of  long  plung- 
ing jumps  leading  away  from  two  fresh  warm  beds. 
The  sun  smiles  sweetly  as  ever  down  through  the 
bracing  air  ;  the  lonely  pines  are  as  dignified  and  sol- 


134  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

emn  as  usual ;  the  luxuriant  briers  embrace  your  trow- 
sers  as  fraternally  as  ever  ;  and  the  old  logs  and  stumps 
loom  up  around  you  more  smiling  and  bigger  than 
before.  But  sight  or  sound  of  venison  there  is  none, 
and  you  are  the  sole  being  in  a  dreary  microcosm  of 
snow,  brush,  briers,  stumps,  iogs,  and  dead  trees. 


HOW  TO   TRACK   VERY   WILD  DEER.         135 


CHAPTER   XH. 

THE    SUREST    WAY    TO    TRACK    DEER    WHEN    VERY    WILD. 

YOUR  high  opinion  of  the  merits  of  a  "  tracking- 
snow"  for  deer  underwent  yesterday  a  very  serious 
modification.  And  if  you  had  continued  hunting  a 
few  days  as  you  did  yesterday  you  might  have  con- 
cluded that  snow  was  no  better  than  bare  ground  for 
hunting  deer.  Your  error  was  a  very  common  and 
natural  one,  yet  one  that  you  might  hunt  a  long  time 
without  even  suspecting. 

You  have  already  seen  how  deer,  when  once  started, 
watch  their  back  track  so  keenly  that  you  not  only 
stand  no  chance  of  getting  a  shot,  but  can  rarely  get 
even  sight  of  them  again.  And  a  single  deer  can  do 
this  just  as  well  as  a  dozen  could.  All  deer  are  so 
nearly  alike  in  this  respect  that  it  will  rarely  avail 
you  to  follow  tracks  of  those  you  have  started.  But 
deer  that  are  little  hunted,  especially  when  not  hunted 
by  tracking,  generally  pay  no  more  attention  to  their 
back  track  than  to  any  other  direction  ;  that  is,  pre- 
vious to  being  alarmed.  But  when  much  hunted  by 
tracking  they  finally  drift  into  a  state  of  chronic  sus- 
picion of  their  back  track.  Hence  they  will  learn  to 
watch  it  with  as  much  care  before  being  started  as 
they  do  after  being  started;  and  they  will  select 
places  to  lie  down  in  from  which  they  can  see  back 
upon  quite  a  portion  of  their  trail.  And  this  instinct 


136  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

is  transmitted  by  descent  until  even  the  fawns  will 
watch  back. 

I  do  not  mean  that  all  deer,  even  very  wild  ones, 
will  always  do  this,  but  so  many  of  them  will  that  it 
is  best  to  hunt  on  the  assumption  that  all  will.  The 
greater  includes  the  less,  and  you  will  lose  little  or 
nothing  by  dealing  with  the  very  tamest  deer  as  if 
they  were  the  very  wildest.  On  the  contrary,  the  use 
of  care  and  skill  even  in  the  highest  degree  will  re- 
pay you  heavily  even  when  hunting  the  tamest  deer 
that  are  now  to  be  found. 

Let  us  now  try  another  style  of  tactics.  Here  is 
the  trail  of  a  doe  and  two  yearlings  that  have  left  the 
ridges  about  half  an  hour  ago.  They  have  done 
feeding  and  have  gone  off  to  lie  down.  As  you  al- 
ready know  they  may  lounge  about  an  hour  or  two 
before  they  go  to  lie  down.  And  during  this  hour  or 
two  they  may  go  a  quarter  of  a  mile  only  or  a  full 
mile,  but  probably  will  not  go  over  half  a  mile. 

You  are  in  a  part  of  the  woods  that  is  new  to 
you.  But  never  mind  that.  Glance  over  the  ground 
as  far  as  you  can  and  see  if  you  cannot  get  a  pretty 
fair  idea  of  where  those  deer  will  go.  You  know 
that  somewhere  on  the  north  is  the  "  slash,"  and  that 
there  are  windfalls  and  brushy  ridges  to  the  east. 
All  the  better  to  know  this.  But  let  us  suppose  you 
have  no  idea  of  the  "  lay  of  the  land  "  beyond  what 
you  can  see  from  here. 

Far  away  in  the  direction  the  tracks  have  gone  you 
can  make  out  the  dim  outline  of  a  long  strip  of  brush 
such  as  generally  lines  a  little  creek.  Along  that 
creek  there  is  likely  to  be  a  flat  with  more  or  less 
brush  in  it.  It  was  to  such  ground  that  your  doe 
and  fawns  went  yesterday.  There  is  plenty  of  such 


HOW   TO    TRACK   VERY    WILD  DEER.         137 

ground  in  nearly  all  woods,  and  it  is  a  favorite 
place  for  deer  to  while  away  an  hour  or  two  at  this 
time  of  day. 

Such  ground,  too,  is  apt  to  have  a  ridge  on  the 
farther  side  of  it.  There  was  a  ridge  on  the  side  of 
the  creek-bottom  where  you  started  the  doe  and 
fawns  yesterday,  but  you  never  thought  of  getting 
behind  it.  Now  the  chances  are  four  to  one  that 
these  deer  are  going  to  that  creek-bottom,  and  once 
there  the  chances  are  four  to  one  that  they  will  re- 
main there  a  while,  and  in  leaving  it  will  go  either  up 
or  down  it  for  some  distance. 

Suppose  now  you  let  this  track  entirely  alone,  strike 
the  creek-bottom  some  three  hundred  yards  below 
where  this  trail  will  probably  cross  it,  go  across  the 
bottom  and  over  the  ridge  beyond.  If  the  deer  have 
gone  down  the  bottom  you  will  cross  their  track  ;  and 
if  you  do  not  cross  any  you  will  have  their  location 
partly  determined. 

Now  travel  along  behind  the  ridge,  and  out  of  sight, 
for  some  hundred  yards  or  so.  Then  look  carefully 
over  and  examine  all  the  ground  in  sight.  Back  off 
and  go  along  behind  the  crest  of  the  ridge  another 
hundred  yards  or  so  and  then  take  another  look. 
You  see  at  once  the  advantage  of  this — an  advantage 
so  great  that  even  the  advantage  of  wind  had  better 
be  subordinated  to  it,  especially  as  scent  blowing  over 
a  ridge  is  not  so  apt  to  reach  anything  in  a  valley;  at 
all  events,  not  until  you  first  have  a  good  chance  to 
see  the  game. 

But  how  do  you  keep  the  track  all  this  time  ?  Per- 
haps they  have  recrossed  the  creek. 

And  suppose  they  have;  is  it  not  probable  that  they 
will  still  continue  up  the  creek-bottom  as  before  ?  And 


138  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

are  not  both  sides  of  the  creek-bottom  in  sight  of  the 
ridge  where  you  are  ?  And  even  if  it  is,  in  places, 
quite  far,  are  not  your  chances  of  seeing  the  deer  at 
least  as  good  as  if  you  were  directly  on  the  track 
again,  and  on  low  ground  too  ?  It  is  difficult  to  see 
how,  next  to  following  the  track  itself,  you  can  do 
anything  more  certain  to  find  them  than  what  you 
are  now  doing.  You  know  they  have  not  gone  below  ; 
if  they  cross  the  ridge  you  are  on  you  will  meet  their 
track  ;  if  they  keep  on  up  the  creek-bottom  you  will 
be  on  a  parallel  with  them;  and  if  they  recross  the 
creek  and  go  in  the  direction  they  came  from,  which 
is  highly  improbable,  you  will  only  lose  a  little  time 
in  finding  it  out.  And  such  time  will  not  be  impor- 
tant, for  such  a  movement  will  generally  indicate  that 
they  have  gone  to  lie  down,  in  which  case  there  is 
certainly  no  haste.  And  no  matter  what  your  opinion 
may  be  about  where  they  have  gone,  until  you  know 
they  are  off  this  ground  be  in  no  haste.  Let  your 
motto  in  tracking  always  be,  Positively  no  haste,  except 
on  such  kinds  of  ground  as  clear  open  woods,  etc., 
where  deer  so  rarely  stop  that  it  does  not  repay  you 
to  lose  time. 

For  three  hundred  or  four  hundred  yards  more  you 
keep  behind  the  ridge,  which  is  sometimes  low,  some- 
times high,  sometimes  near,  and  sometimes  far  from 
the  creek,  and  sometimes  cut  with  a  hollow.  Yet  you 
see  nothing,  though  you  stop  at  every  seventy  or 
eighty  yards  and  take  a  good  look.  The  creek-bot- 
tom goes  on  some  distance  yet,  and  they  are  proba- 
bly still  ahead. 

Yet  wherever  it  is  possible,  without  too  much  dan- 
ger of  being  seen,  to  slip  in  and  see  if  you  are  still 
parallel  with  the  track,  it  is  better  to  do  so.  And 


HOW   TO    TRACK    VERY    WILD  DEER.          139 

here  is  a  good  opportunity  to  do  that  very  thing,  for 
just  ahead  of  you  a  little  streamlet  runs  into  the  creek. 
Its  bottom  is  low,  and  its  sides  are  so  fringed  with 
brush  that  you  can  steal  down  to  the  main  creek  with 
little  danger  of  being  seen. 

You  reach  the  main  creek  and  find  no  tracks.  They 
must  then  have  crossed  it.  The  ridges  on  the  other 
side  are  now  nearly  as  close  to  the  creek  as  those  you 
have  just  left.  Might  it  not  be  expedient  to  get  be- 
hind them  instead  of  going  back  to  the  others?  Un- 
doubtedly it  would  be  if  you  can  get  behind  them 
without  being  seen,  and  that  you  can  easily  do  by 
going  back  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  yards  or 
so.  The  loss  of  that  much  distance  amounts  to  noth- 
ing, and  you  can  there  cross  the  track  and  find  its 
course  as  well  as  here. 

But  stop ;  not  that  way.  Go  back  behind  your 
ridge  again  and  retrace  your  old  track.  It  looks  like 
unnecessary  particularity,  I  admit,  but  then  it  takes 
little  time.  And  take  my  word  for  it  when  I  tell  you 
that  a  fair  percentage  of  your  failures  in  still-hunting 
comes  from  leaving  in  your  net  a  few  loose  knots, 
to  tighten  which  would  have  cost  you  only  a  trifle 
more  of  work,  care,  and  time.  And  mark  another 
tiling.  While  going  back  do  not  neglect  to  look  the 
creek-bottom  over  again  because  you  have  once  ex- 
amined it. 

Back  you  go  nearly  two  hundred  yards,  looking 
over  the  ridge  from  time  to  time  as  before.  Over 
across  the  creek  upon  ground  you  thoroughly  scanned 
before  something  catches  your  eye.  It  is  only  a  spot 
about  the  size  of  your  hat,  but  in  shape  it  is  marvel- 
ously  like  the  haunch  of  a  deer  that  is  almost  hidden 
by  the  upturned  butt  of  a  huge  fallen  tree.  The  tree 


140  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

has  lain  there  a  long  time ;  brush  has  grown  up 
around  it;  its  trunk  and  branches  alone  would  hide  a 
dozen  deer  standing  behind  it.  Therefore  be  very 
careful. 

Several  questions  now  crowd  and  jostle  each  other 
in  your  mind. 

ist.  Is  it  a  deer  ? 

ad.  If  so,  is  it  not  too  small  a  mark  to  hit  at  such  a 
distance  (at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards)  ? 

3d.  If  too  far,  shall  I  try  to  get  closer  or  wait  for  it 
to  move  and  present  a  fuller  mark  ? 

4th.  Which  way  shall  I  go  to  get  closer,  directly  to- 
ward it  or  go  up  the  creek  a  way.  and  come  down  ? 

5th.  If  I  wait  for  it  to  move,  may  it  not  move  out  of 
my  sight  as  well  as  into  it  ? 

All  these  are  very  pertinent,  but  are  easy  to  answer. 

ist.  It  has  the  unmistakable  outline  of  a  deer's 
haunch.  The  shape  of  the  lower  part  and  leg  settles 
that  sufficiently  to  make  it  worth  while  to  risk  a  shot. 
It  is  very  dark  in  color,  but  then  a  deer  nearly  always 
looks  dark  upon  a  background  of  snow. 

2d.  It  is  too  small  a  mark  for  a  novice  to  shoot  at 
from  this  distance.  If  you  raise  your  sights  or  hold 
over  it  you  are  very  liable  to  miss  it.  If  you  draw  a 
fine  sight  on  it  you  are  liable  to  miss  it  or  only  break 
a  leg.  It  is  a  shot  which  none  but  a  skilled  marks- 
man— skilled  in  the  field  on  game — can  make  with 
certainty  even  with  a  rest. 

3d.  Even  if  it  moves  and  shows  its  full  body,  it  will 
still  be  too  fine  a  shot  for  a  beginner  to  make,  so  you 
had  better  get  closer. 

4th.  The  farther  you  can  keep  from  the  deers'  back 
track  in  approaching  them  the  better.  The  other 
two  are  undoubtedly  there  watching,  and  may  be  on 


HO  IV   TO    TRACK    VERY    WILD  DEER.         141 

this  side  of  the  log,  and  standing  up,  too,  although 
you  do  not  see  them. 

5th.  It  is  just  as  liable  to  move  out  of  your  sight  as 
in  it.  But  then  another  one  is  just  as  liable  to  move 
into  your  sight  as  remain  out  of  it,  as  at  present. 

On  the  whole,  your  best  chance  is  to  go  back  to 
where  you  came  to  the  creek  a  while  ago,  cross  it, 
and,  stooping  low,  swing  around  in  line  with  any  little 
rise  of  ground,  windfall,  or  heavy  clump  of  brush, 
etc.,  you  find  between  you  and  the  deer,  get  behind 
that  and  wait  patiently.  For  if  you  try  to  get  close 
enough  to  the  fallen  tree  to  see  the  deer,  you  will  be 
quite  apt  to  see  nothing  but  the  flip  of  their  tails  as 
they  make  off  in  line  with  it.  And  if  you  wait  a 
while  they  will  be  quite  certain  to  move  and  perhaps 
come  towards  you.  And  if  they  lie  dowrn  there,  you 
will  then  be  able  to  approach  much  closer  than  you 
now  can,  and  get  a  much  better  running  shot — since 
you  would  probably  have  to  take  one  anyhow — than 
you  now  could. 

A  very  slight  change  of  circumstances  would  modify 
all  this  advice.  If  you  were  a  good  cool  shot  it  would 
be  better  perhaps  to  shoot  from  where  you  are;  and 
so  it  would  be  better  even  for  a  poor  shot  if  he  had  to 
approach  that  tree  from  the  trail-side,  or  from  open 
ground  above.  And  if  there  were  a  ridge  near  by  on 
the  other  side  it  would  be  better  to  get  behind  that. 
And  all  these  considerations  might  be  changed  again 
by  the  question  of  wind.  It  would  be  impossible 
within  the  limits  of  a  readable  book  to  go  through 
every  case  of  this  sort  with  its  modifications.  But 
when  you  are  once  familiar  with  the  representative 
cases  or  leading  conditions,  nearly  all  the  modifica- 
sions  will  soon  suggest  themselves.  There  are  of 


U2  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

course  certain  kinds  of  ground  where  it  is  safe  to 
walk  on  the  trail;  but  wherever  you  can  keep  away 
from  it  without  losing  it,  it  is  better  to  do  so. 

So  far  we  have  had  no  trouble  in  keeping  the  course 
of  the  trail.  And  after  you  once  get  well  acquainted 
with  a  deer's  habits  about  feeding,  lounging,  and  going 
off  to  lie  down,  you  will  have  little  trouble  in  this  re- 
spect. And  you  will  have  far  less  when  you  once 
know  the  ground  well.  But  sometimes  you  will  have 
some  trouble  with  it,  especially  in  brushy  timber,  in 
heavy  pine  where  deer  are  apt  to  meander  more  in 
their  course.  And  so  during  a  storm,  or  in  such  tim- 
ber as  it  is  hard  to  keep  your  course  in,  such  as  heavy 
pine  in  a  cloudy  day.  In  all  such  cases  you  will  have 
to  swing  in  frequently  upon  the  trail,  taking  advan- 
tage of  course  of  any  hollows,  etc.,  to  do  so. 

We  have  also  had  no  trouble  this  morning  to  keep 
out  of  sight.  We  shall  often  find  ground  where  there 
is  little  shelter  from  friendly  ridges.  As  I  advised 
you  before,  such  ground  is  generally  unprofitable  to 
the  still-hunter.  But  if  you  happen  to  be  on  it  you 
will  find  the  advantages  of  side-tracking  very  great. 
The  better  way  there,  is  to  make  half-circles,  going  far 
away  from  the  trail,  then  coming  down  at  right  angles 
to  it  and  keeping  a  most  careful  watch  on  both  sides, 
then  backing  out  and  swinging  around  again.  You 
can  sometimes  see  the  track  at  quite  a  distance,  but 
rarely  from  a  distance  that  is  safe.  You  had  better 
always  depend  upon  your  knowledge  of  the  deer's 
course  and  upon  occasional  coming  into  the  track. 

Sometimes  a  deer  will  make  a  circuit  before  lying 
down,  and  then  lie  down  on  one  side  of  his  main  trail. 
In  such  case  he  is  almost  certain  to  see  you  if  you  are 
directly  upon  the  trail,  as  you  travel  too  much  in  his 


HOW   TO    TRACK    VERY    WILD  DEER.         143 

sight.  Whereas  if  you  circle  it  you  may  come  in 
upon  him  from  the  side  that  he  is  not  watching.  Or 
if  you  happen  on  the  other  side  of  the  main  trail  you 
will  perhaps  be  so  far  off  that  he  cannot  see  you,  and 
when  you  finally  miss  the  trail  you  may  swing  around 
the  doubling  point  and  come  in  upon  him  from  be- 
hind. At  all  events,  if  a  deer  does  play  this  trick  on 
you,  you  are  in  no  worse  condition  than  if  you  were 
on  the  trail.  And  you  may  be  in  a  much  better  one. 

Where  a  trail  runs  toward  a  heavy  windfall  into 
which  you  can  see  no  better  from  one  side  than  from 
the  other,  you  may  feel  an  inclination  to  keep  close  to 
the  track  because  you  feel  that  the  deer,  if  inside  the 
windfall,  cannot  see  you.  This  is  in  a  measure  true. 
But  he  may  have  stopped  just  in  the  edge  of  it.  If 
he  has,  you  will  be  quite  certain  to  lose  him  by  a 
direct  approach.  Whereas  if  you  circle  around  and 
come  along  the  edge  he  will  be  much  less  apt  to  see 
you.  And  if  he  runs  he  will  probably  give  you  a 
much  better  shot  by  running  away  from  it  instead 
of  plunging  directly  into  it,  as  he  would  probably 
otherwise  do. 

A  hunter  may  picket  his  horse  with  a  "granny- 
knot"  on  his  neck  and  a  slip-knot  on  the  stake  and 
may  find  him  fast  there  in  the  morning.  If  he  use  a 
bowline-knot  and  a  clove-hitch  he  will  find  him  fast 
if  nothing  breaks.  Yet  the  two  latter  knots  take  no 
more  time  or  trouble  to  tie  than  the  other.  So  there 
are  many  cases  where  it  is  as  easy  to  follow  the  very 
tamest  deer  away  off  on  one  side  as  directly  on  the 
track.  On  the  track  may  do;  but  the  other  way  is 
vastly  surer. 

How  far  this  plan  of  side-tracking  or  circling  will 
avail  with  antelope  I  can  nut  say.  But  they  are  such 


144  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

rangers  that  where  it  will  be  worth  while  to  follow 
their  tracks  at  all  too  much  time  would  probably  be 
lost  by  circling.  Their  eyes  are  moreover  so  keen  when 
they  are  much  hunted,  and  they  keep  such  a  constant 
watch  upon  every  quarter  of  the  horizon,  especially 
when  there  are  many  together,  that  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  anything  can  be  gained  by  the  mere  direc- 
tion of  approach. 


TRACKING   ON  BARE    GROUND.  146 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TRACKING  ON  BARE  GROUND. 

IN  tracking  deer  upon  bare  ground  a  difficulty 
meets  us  which  is  practically  unknown  in  tracking 
upon  snow;  namely,  recognizing  the  footprints.  On 
snow  one  can  generally  watch  the  trail  with  an  oc- 
casional side  glance  of  the  most  careless  kind,  keep- 
ing all  his  attention  directed  toward  catching  first 
sight  of  the  game.  But  on  bare  ground  not  only  is 
keener  sight  necessary  to  detect  the  game,  but  a  large 
part  of  the  attention  so  necessary  for  that  purpose 
has  to  be  diverted  toward  finding  and  recognizing 
the  footprints  of  the  trail. 

I  have  read  some  very  weak  stuff  about  the  stupen- 
dous difficulties  of  tracking  upon  bare  ground.  I 
have  read  very  able  articles  by  eminent  sportsmen  in 
our  best  magazines  in  which  the  tracking  of  a  moose 
weighing  nearly  a  thousand  pounds  was  depicted  as 
a  vast  and  wondrous  achievement,  the  ability  to  do 
which  was  reserved  to  the  gifted  Indian  and  denied 
to  the  poor  Paleface.  There  are  indeed  some  people 
who  could  not  track  an  elephant  through  a  dew-cov- 
ered clover-patch;  but  there  is  not  a  backwoods  boy 
of  sixteen  who  ever  has  to  hunt  up  a  lost  yearling  calf 
in  the  woods,  not  a  young  vaquero  in  California  who 
ever  followed  an  animal  over  the  rugged  hills,  who 
would  not  laugh  at  those  articles  and  declare  the 
author  a  gosling.  The  authors  of  such  articles  are, 


146  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

however,  no  such  thing,  but  simply  careless  writers 
who  allow  their  admiration  of  the  Indian  to  run  away 
with  their  pens.  But  the  effect  of  all  such  stuff  is 
bad.  It  deters  from  attempting  tracking  many  a  one 
who  might  easily  attain,  not  great  skill,  but  enough 
for  good  sport. 

There  may  be  a  hereditary  tendency  in  the  Indian 
which  makes  it  more  easy  for  him  to  learn  tracking; 
but  he  has  also  vastly  more  practice.  And  herein 
lies  the  main  secret — perfect  sight  and  practice,  prac- 
tice, practice.  And  with  practice  the  average  white 
man  is  fully  equal  to  the  average  Indian.  There  will 
be  a  difference  in  individuals  just  as  there  is  in  the 
knack  or  facility  of  doing  anything,  and  consequently 
some  Indians  will  excel  some  white  men.  But  if  the 
average  Indian  excels  the  average  white  man,  it  is  in 
what  he  will  do  and  not  in  what  he  can  do.  He  will 
run  all  day  with  nothing  to  eat,  keeping  a  dog-trot 
nearly  all  the  time  for  a  single  deer.  The  white  man 
has  more  regard  for  the  day  of  reckoning,  and  will 
rarely  throw  away  his  health  or  prematurely  use  up 
his  strength  for  such  a  paltry  reward  as  a  deer.  And 
just  so  the  Indian  will  cling  to  a  trail  and  even- 
tually secure  the  game  when  the  white  man  would 
give  it  up  as  involving  more  patience  or  work  than 
the  game  was  worth.  The  Indian  hunts  for  food; 
when  he  sets  out  for  it  he  is  bound  to  have  it,  and  he 
will  continue  the  chase  as  long  as  daylight  allows  him. 
Here  he  undoubtedly  excels.  And,  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, he  is  triply  welcome  to  all  the  glory  of  this 
superiority. 

Tracking  on  bare  ground  is,  however,  very  often  diffi- 
cult, and  is  never  any  loo  easy.  On  some  kinds  of  ground 
it  is  impossible  for  either  white  man  or  Indian  to  track 


TRACKING   ON  BARE   GROUND.  147 

an  animal  as  light  and  as  small-hoofed  as  a  deer  fast 
enough  to  be  of  any  avail;  and  often  where  it  can  be 
done  it  is  too  tedious  even  for  the  Indian.  He  rarely 
tracks  a  single  deer  on  most  kinds  of  bare  ground  un- 
less it  is  wounded  or  deer  are  very  scarce.  Where  a 
single  track  goes  through  heavy  timber;  where  the 
ground  is  covered  with  dry  dead  leaves  or  dry  dead 
grass;  where  it  is  very  dry  and  hard,  or  is  stony  or 
frozen  ;  where  it  is  thickly  covered  with  brush,  dry 
weeds,  canebrake,  etc.,  —  rare  is  the  hunter,  either 
white  or  red,  who  will  have  patience  to  follow  a  track. 
And  often  they  could  not  if  they  would.  More  often, 
however,  they  merely  skip  such  places  and  depend 
upon  picking  up  the  trail  on  better  ground;  but  where 
the  whole  or  greater  part  of  the  ground  is  of  the 
nature  above  described,  nearly  all  hunters  let  the 
tracks  alone,  unless  they  be  tracks  of  a  traveling 
band. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  some  kinds  of 
ground  on  which  a  deer  can  be  followed  with  almost 
as  much  certainty  as  on  snow,  and  so  fast  as  to  re- 
quire little  patience  on  the  part  of  the  hunter.  Such 
are  the  bare  hilly  regions  where  the  ground  is  not  too 
rocky,  and  where  little  or  no  grass  grows  and  the 
brush  is  not  too  thick.  Such  is  almost  all  open  ground 
when  very  wet  and  not  too  much  covered  with  dead 
grass,  weeds,  etc.;  such  is  most  open  ground  covered 
with  green  grass,  especially  if  the  dew  is  on  it;  such 
is  ground  on  which  wild  cattle  range,  and  where  the 
deer  often  follow  the  cattle-trails  and  make  runways 
of  their  own  from  one  trail  to  another.  On  these  and 
various  other  kinds  of  ground  it  often  is  worth  while 
to  work  up  a  trail  of  even  a  single  deer;  but  just  when 
and  where  this  will  be  worth  while  depends  so  entirely 


148  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

upon  the  nature  of  the  ground,  the  size  of  the  deer, 
the  distance  it  is  likely  to  travel,  the  age  of  the  track, 
its  direction,  the  time  of  day,  etc.,  that  it  is  quite  im- 
possible to  lay  down  any  useful  rule.  It  is  a  thing  to 
be  decided  by  the  circumstances  of  each  particular 
case. 

But  though  it  may  not  be  worth  while  to  track  a 
single  deer  on  bare  ground,  the  case  is  often  quite 
different  when  there  are  several.  A  band  of  five  or 
six  deer  is  quite  easy  to  follow,  and  even  a  doe  and 
two  fawns  will  keep  so  close  together  that  where 
the  track  of  one  is  extremely  faint  that  of  another 
near  by  it  is  very  plain.  So  long  as  they  keep  near 
together,  so  that  one  fills  up  the  dim  part  of  the  trail 
of  another,  a  band  is  quite  easy  to  track;  but  when 
they  begin  to  straggle  out  and  wander  here  and  there 
they  get  harder  to  follow,  and,  as  before,  in  tracking 
on  snow,  it  is  now  best  to  leave  the  tracks  for  a  while 
and  look  out  for  the  game  from  behind  some  ridge. 
Still  it  will  not  always  be  advisable  to  follow  even  a 
band,  if  deer  are  plenty  enough  without  doing  so;  for 
though  it  is  easier  for  you  to  see  some  of  them,  it  is 
also  much  easier  for  them  to  see,  or  hear,  or  smell 
you.  So  if  the  ground  is  very  level  or  brushy,  with 
no  good  lookout-places  or  facilities  for  circling  well, 
or  if  the  wind  be  wrong,  it  is  often  best  not  to  bother 
even  with  tracking  several  deer  if  others  are  plenty 
enough  to  give  you  a  fair  chance  elsewhere. 

If  you  only  expect  to  hunt  a  little  at  long  intervals 
it  will  not  be  worth  while  to  study  tracking  on  bare 
ground,  for  to  acquire  sufficient  skill  to  do  it  rapidly 
enough,  and  with  certainty  enough,  requires  unques- 
tionably a  large  amount  of  practice.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  you  intend  to  do  any  considerable 


TRACKING   ON  BARE   GROUND.  149 

amount  of  still-hunting  you  should  by  all  means 
practice  it.  And  to  begin  this  it  is  not  necessary  to 
wait  until  the  necessity  arises.  The  first  steps  in  the 
art  can  be  learned  by  practicing  on  your  own  trail. 

To  do  this  go  first  upon  ground  that  is  soft  enough 
to  take  the  impression  of  your  foot.  After  walking  a 
hundred  yards  or  so,  circle  around  backward  and 
look  for  your  trail.  Then  follow  it,  not  with  your 
eyes  upon  any  one  track  and  then  shifting  to  the 
next  one,  but  with  eyes  fixed  as  far  away  as  possible, 
and  with  a  gaze  that  takes  in  at  once  twenty-five  or 
thirty  feet  of  the  trail.  After  trying  this  for  a  few 
days  you  will  discover  a  marked  difference  in  the 
speed  with  which  your  eye  catches  each  footprint,  in 
the  distance  at  which  it  will  catch  them,  and  in  the 
number  it  will  take  in  at  once.  On  each  day  look 
also  for  the  tracks  of  the  preceding  day  and  days  before 
that,  until  you  can  no  longer  find  them  ;  and  note  care- 
fully the  difference  in  the  appearance  of  freshness, 
a  very  important  point.  When  it  becomes  easy  to 
find  and  follow  your  trail  on  such  ground,  change  to 
more  difficult  ground.  Unless  you  live  in  a  large  city 
all  this  kind  of  practice  may  easily  be  had  near  home. 
A  cow  or  horse  track,  off  the  road,  is  also  good  to 
practice  on.  But  remember  to  always  try  and  see  as 
far  ahead  as  possible  on  the  trail.  Tracking  does  not, 
as  some  might  suppose,  consist  in  picking  out  each 
step  by  a  separate  search,  but  in  a  comprehensive 
view  of  the  whole  ground  for  several  yards  ahead. 
Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  grope  one's  way  from 
step  to  step  like  a  child  in  its  primer,  as  where  the 
trail  gets  very  faint  or  turns  much;  but  generally  the 
experienced  tracker  reads  several  yards  of  the  trail  at 
a  glance,  just  as  the  fluent  reader  does  words  in  a 


150  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

book.  The  gaze  is  fixed  quite  as  much  on  the  sur- 
rounding ground,  and  the  trail  appears  almost  to 
stand  out  in  relief. 

The  appearance  of  a  deer's  track  upon  bare  ground 
varies  very  much,  and  a  trail  may  in  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  run  through  a  dozen  or  more  variations.  All 
appearances  may,  however,  be  included  under  the  fol- 
lowing heads,  and  the  great  majority  of  tracks  you 
will  see  will  correspond  exactly  with  the  description 
of  the  class  : 

ist.  Distinct  impressions  of  the  whole  hoof. 

ad.  Faint  impressions  of  only  the  points  of  the 
hoof. 

3d.  A  slight  rim  of  dirt  or  dust  thrown  up  by  the 
sharp  edge  of  the  hoof. 

4th.  Slight  scrapes  upon  hard  ground,  recognizable 
only  by  the  change  of  color,  being  made  by  a  faint 
grinding  of  the  finest  particles  of  the  surface  without 
any  impression. 

5th.  Mere  touches  or  spots  showing  only  a  faint 
change  in  the  shade  of  the  color.  There  is  scarcely 
any  air  so  dry  that  the  ground  during  the  night  will 
not  absorb  a  trace  of  moisture.  The  least  disturb- 
ance of  the  top  particles  of  such  soil,  even  without 
grinding  them  over  each  other,  will  make  a  difference 
in  the  shade  of  the  color,  which  will  be  visible  under 
some  point  of  view  though  invisible  from  others,  de- 
pending upon  the  direction  of  the  light. 

6th.  Crushing  or  grinding  of  the  surface  of  friable 
rocks,  and  mere  scrapes  or  scratches  on  harder  rock 
or  frozen  ground. 

7th.  Depressions  in  moss,  grass,  dead  leaves,  etc. 

8th.  Dead  leaves,  sticks,  etc.,  kicked  or  brushed 
aside  or  overturned,  or  broken  or  bent,  etc. 


TRACKING   ON  BARE    GROUND.  151 

pth.  A  plain  bending  or  separating  of  the  spears  of 
grass  or  weeds.  This  is  generally  caused  by  the  feet 
treading  down  the  stalks  at  the  bottom  and  not  as  the 
next  (No.  10)  is. 

loth.  A  bending  of  the  spears  of  grass  or  weeds, 
etc.,  by  the  legs  of  the  passing  animal.  In  this  case 
the  bend  itself  of  the  spears  is  hardly  noticeable  except 
by  the  change  in  the  shade  of  light  cast  by  them.  In 
such  case  a  faint  streak  of  differently  shaded  color 
will  be  found  running  through  the  grass  or  weeds, 
visible  only  from  some  directions. 

nth.  Change  of  color  from  brushing  dew,  rain- 
drops, or  frost  from  grass,  weeds,  etc. 

i2th.  Upturning  of  the  under  surfaces  (generally 
moist)  of  stones,  leaves,  etc. 

These  twelve  classes  include  about  all  you  will 
need  to  study.  There  are  of  course  some  others, 
but  generally  so  accidental  and  rare  that  you  had 
better  skip  such  places  and  seek  the  trail  farther  on, 
such  as  the  under  surface  of  dry  leaves  pressed  against 
wet  ones  beneath  but  not  upturned.  It  will  not  be 
worth  while  to  spend  time  on  a  trail  in  looking  for 
such  signs. 

Where  the  animal  has  run  or  bounded  it  is  of 
course  easy  to  follow.  But  this  generally  shows  that 
you  have  alarmed  it,  or  that  some  one  else  has.  You 
already  know  your  prospects  in  such  a  case.  About 
the  only  tracks  worth  following  are  those  where  the 
animal  was  walking,  and  these  are  the  very  hardest. 

I  should  deem  it  unnecessary  to  mention  the  pecu- 
liar shape  of  a  deer's  track  had  I  not  known  the 
tracks  of  both  hogs  and  sheep  frequently  taken 
for  those  of  a  deer.  Both  hogs  and  sheep  have 
more  round  and  uneven  pointed  hoofs  than  a  deer 


152  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

has.  A  hog,  too,  spreads  his  toes  out,  and  a  sheep 
generally  does  more  or  less.  A  deer  always  keeps  his 
toes  tight  together  except  when  running,  and  some- 
times when  walking  on  wet  and  slippery  ground. 
There  is  once  in  a  great  while  a  deer  with  spreading 
toes,  and  once  in  a  great  while  a  sheep  with  a  foot 
almost  like  a  deer's  foot.  But  these  are  too  rare  to 
give  you  any  trouble.  The  feet  of  an  antelope  are 
still  sharper,  if  possible,  than  those  of  a  deer,  though 
there  is  often  resemblance  enough  to  deceive  nearly 
any  one  judging  by  the  mere  footprints  without  re- 
gard to  the  nature  of  the  ground,  the  number  of  an- 
imals, etc.  A  calf  has  also  a  spreading  foot  and 
much  more  rounding  toes  than  those  of  a  deer,  as 
well  as  a  larger  hoof.  The  goat  makes  a  solid  track, 
very  uneven  in  front.  The  difference  in  the  distance 
of  the  step  will  generally  settle  most  cases  of  doubt, 
as  a  deer  has  a  much  longer  step  than  a  sheep,  hog, 
or  goat.  The  feet  of  these  animals  also  drag  more  in 
snow  than  do  those  of  a  deer. 

When  the  track  runs  over  ground  where  it  becomes 
hard  to  recognize  it  is  best  to  skip  that  part  and  look 
for  it  farther  on.  And  this  must  also  be  done  where 
you  can  easily  follow  it  but  cannot  do  so  without 
some  danger  of  alarming  the  game  ;  as  where  the 
trail  runs  down  a  hill-side  in  plain  view  of  the  valley 
or  basin  in  which  the  game  is  likely  to  be,  or  turns 
down  wind,  etc.  etc.  And  where  it  is  necessary  to 
circle  the  trail  when  deer  watch  the  back  trail,  etc. 
etc.,  it  must  be  found  again  in  the  same  way. 

In  order  to  do  this  a  knowledge  of  the  deer's  hab- 
its and  movements  is  indispensable.  So  is  a  quick 
and  comprehensive  grasp  of  the  features  (or  "  lay  of 
the  land  ")  of  the  country  where  you  do  not  already 


TRACKING   ON  BARE   GROUND.  153 

know  them.  You  must  know  the  kind  of  ground  to 
which  a  deer  is  most  likely  to  go  at  any  particular 
time  of  day,  the  length  of  time  he  is  likely  to  remain 
there,  how  far  he  is  likely  to  travel,  etc.  etc.,  and  be 
quick  to  see  the  most  advantageous  way  to  approach 
such  places  as  the  game  may  probably  be  in,  as  well 
as  the  best  and  easiest  place  to  regain  the  trail.  All 
of  which  will  so  vary  with  the  locality  and  the  wild- 
ness  of  the  deer  that  little  advice  can  be  given  about 
it  except  generally,  as  has  been  already  somewhat 
done  and  will  be  continued  farther  on.  And  even 
where  the  trail  is  easily  followed  this  kind  of  knowl- 
edge will  enable  you  to  make  many  advantageous 
flank  movements,  etc. 

The  freshness  of  a  track  is  generally  less  easy  to 
determine  upon  bare  ground  than  upon  snow,  though 
it  can  be  done  with  far  more  certainty  than  one  would 
suppose.  It  is  indeed  often  more  difficult  than  it  is 
upon  snow  to  distinguish  a  track  five  minutes  old 
from  one  two  or  three  hours  old.  And  sometimes  a 
difference  of  several  hours  cannot  be  noticed.  But  it 
is  generally  very  easy  to  tell  with  certainty  the  track 
of  to-day  from  that  of  yesterday.  There  are  places, 
however,  where  sometimes  even  this  can  hardly  be 
done,  as  in  coarse  dry  sand,  dry  dead  weeds  and 
grats  where  the  stalk  does  not  straighten  again,  but 
the  slant  remains  and  continues  to  make  a  different 
shade  of  light,  etc.  etc. 

Where  dew,  frost,  or  rain-drops  have  been  brushed 
from  grass  or  weeds  the  freshness  is  of  course  unmis- 
takable. So  where  wet  leaves,  stones,  etc.,  have  been 
upturned,  if  the  air  is  dry  the  freshness  is  also  easy 
to  determine.  The  beginner  will  find  little  trouble 
with  anything  but  dry  ground,  rocky  ground,  etc. 


104  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

And  here  he  must  learn  to  note  the  shade  of  color 
in  case  of  mere  scrapes,  and  the  smoothness  and  fine- 
ness of  the  outlines  in  case  of  distinct  impressions. 
Where  tracks  are  not  deep  they  are  often  obliterated 
in  a  few  days,  and  this  even  without  any  rain  or  strong 
wind.  There  is  always  more  or  less  moving  of  ants 
and  birds  over  them  ;  there  is  always  more  or 
less  dust  falling  from  the  air,  the  bushes,  etc.,  and 
the  faintest  breeze  stirs  up  more.  If  they  do  not 
in  a  few  days  obliterate  a  track  all  these  things  will 
quickly  give  it  an  appearance  unmistakably  old.  The 
brighter  color,  too,  of  any  track  on  dry  ground  will 
generally  by  one  night,  however  dry  the  air  may  ap- 
parently be,  be  restored  to  the  color  of  the  ground 
around  it,  though  the  outline,  if  any,  may  yet  remain 
distinct.  On  the  dry  hills  of  Southern  California  I 
have  time  and  again  noticed  that  tracks  that  I  had 
followed  with  ease,  and  where  the  imprint  of  the  hoof 
was  perfect,  were  gone  in  four  or  five  days,  and  this 
where  there  were  no  quails  trooping  over  the  trail. 
This  same  obliteration  takes  place  there  with  the 
droppings  during  the  dry  season,  though  this  occurs 
more  slowly.  They  are  not  merely  bleached  out,  but 
they  disappear.  This  will  sometimes  happen  in  a 
fortnight  or  so,  though  more  often  it  takes  months. 
Where  there  is  rain  they  will  often  go  sooner.  But 
color  and  gloss  will  generally  determine  their  age 
anywhere. 

I  have  confined  myself  in  this  chapter  only  to  very 
general  hints,  as  nothing  will  supply  the  place  of 
practice,  and  practice  will  supply  all  I  have  omitted. 
Without  practice,  and  considerable  of  it,  much  success 
in  bare  tracking  is  out  of  the  question.  It  is  not 
half  as  hard  as  it  is  generally  represented,  but  it  is 


TRACKING   ON  BARE   GROUND.  155 

still  no  child's  play.  As  long  as  you  have  to  grope 
your  way  from  track  to  track  it  will  be  too  slow.  You 
must  study  the  ground  until  you  can  see  tracks  almost 
stick  out  from  it,  and  see  the  line  of  the  trail  yards 
and  rods  ahead. 

The  besetting  sin  of  most  trackers  when  upon  bare 
ground  is  allowing  the  trail  to  take  too  much  of  their 
attention.  And  often  while  they  are  looking  at  the 
trail  the  game  is  looking  at  them. 

Sometimes  it  may  be  best  to  skip  the  whole  of  the 
trail,  using  its  direction  only  as  a  general  guide  ;  as 
where  you  find  it  leading  from  a  spring  toward  some 
brushy  basin  upon  the  mountain-side,  which  is  a  fa- 
vorite resort  for  deer  during  the  day.  And  sometimes 
if  you  find  a  fresh  trail  coming  down  from  such  a 
place  to  a  spring,  but  can  find  no  trail  returning,  it 
may  even  be  worth  while  to  back-track  the  incoming 
trail,  as  the  deer  may  have  returned  to  the  basin  by 
a  roundabout  way,  over  ground  or  through  brush 
where  it  is  too  hard  to  follow  them.  The  size  and 
character  of  the  basin  and  the  quantity  of  other  good 
lying-down  places  must  determine  such  questions. 

Sometimes  you  get  personally  acquainted  with  a 
certain  deer  or  set  of  deer  so  that  you  not  only  know 
them  by  sight,  but  know  their  tracks  at  once  ;  know 
where  they  will  keep,  where  they  will  run  if  started, 
where  they  will  be  to-morrow  if  started  to-day,  etc. 
You  come  to  know  them  perfectly,  but  there  is  always 
something  the  matter  when  you  find  them.  They 
are  too  far,  or  jumping  too  high,  or — or — well,  in 
short  you  have  not  yet  got  them.  The  tracks  of  such 
deer  are  a  pretty  sure  guide  to  their  whereabouts 
without  adhering  to  the  tracks  themselves. 


156  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

STILL-HUNTING    ON    OPEN    GROUND. 

MUCH  of  the  best  deer-hunting  now  to  be  found  in 
the  western  half  of  the  United  States  is  upon  ground 
either  quite  bare  or  entirely  bare  of  timber.  Not 
only  are  many  first-rate  deer-ranges  nearly  or  totally 
destitute  of  timber,  but  even  where  there  is  plenty  of 
timber  the  deer  will  sometimes  leave  it  and  take  the 
open  ground.  In  summer  and  early  autumn  they  will 
often  be  found  on  the  prairie  miles  away  from  timber 
(though  they  may  go  to  the  timber  at  night),  lying 
during  the  day  in  the  long  grass  of  the  sloughs  and 
swales,  feeding  and  standing  at  evening  and  in  the 
morning  along  the  slopes,  on  the  knolls,  in  the  hol- 
lows, or  moving  toward  the  timber  or  away  from  it. 
The  bluffy  ground  along  Western  rivers  and  streams; 
the  brushy  ground  that  often  lies  between  the  timber 
and  the  prairie  ;  open  table-lands  cut  with  ravines; 
the  brushy  foot-hills  of  heavily  timbered  mountains; 
barren  rocky-looking  hills  studded  with  boulders; 
even  bare-looking  hills  on  which  you  would  think  at 
a  distant  glance  nothing  could  live, — all  these  often 
afford  excellent  hunting. 

You  must  not  forget  that  by  "  open  country"  I  mean 
country  bare  only  of  timber  and  not  clean  or  clear 
ground.  On  such  clear  ground  as  antelope  gene- 
rally love  the  deer  will  rarely  be  found.  And  when 


STILL-HUNTING   ON  OPEN  GROUND.          15? 

the  deer  does  go  upon  such  ground  it  is  generally 
for  only  a  portion  of  the  day.  Antelope  will,  how- 
ever, sometimes  go  upon  ground  containing  con- 
siderable brush  or  scrub  timber  if  it  is  thin  enough 
to  allow  them  to  pass  through  it  without  touching 
it  too  much,  such  as  the  cactus  and  sage-brush 
covered  parts  of  plains  and  deserts.  And  on  such 
ground  the  deer  may  be  sometimes  found  in  the 
company  of  his  handsome  cousin.  But  the  open 
country  that  is  generally  worth  hunting  at  all  for 
deer  is  too  brushy  for  antelope.  It  is  generally  cov- 
ered with  brush,  long  grass,  or  something  from  knee- 
high  up  to  above  the  height  of  your  head,  with  plenty 
of  cover  in  the  sloughs,  swales,  gulches,  basins,  pockets, 
and  valleys.  If  cover  be  wanting  on  the  ridges  these 
sloughs  and  gulches,  etc.,  must  contain  it  or  there 
will  be  few  or  no  deer,  as  the  animal  will  have  cover 
somewhere. 

Upon  all  such  ground  that  is  worth  hunting  at  all 
there  is  generally  far  more  cover  that  can  completely 
conceal  the  body  of  a  deer  than  there  is  in  such  tim- 
ber as  is  worth  still-hunting.  So  that  ground  which, 
if  timbered,  would  afford  very  poor  still-hunting  may, 
when  open,  afford  very  good;  the  reason  of  which  we 
shall  see  as  we  go  on.  But  to  insure  such  result  the 
open  ground  should  be  quite  rolling,  even  more  roll- 
ing than  is  necessary  to  success  in  timber.  Or  if  it  is 
of  the  nature  of  table-land  it  should  be  well  cut  up 
with  brushy  gulches,  valleys,  basins,  and  pockets,  etc. 
If  the  ground  be  too  level  the  deer  will  have  the  im- 
mense advantage  of  being  in  cover  that  conceals  all 
but  part  of  his  head  when  it  is  upraised,  while  the 
whole  upper  part  of  your  body  is  often  in  his  plain 
view.  And  his  head  is  often  so  nearly  the  color  of 


158  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  brush  that  it  is  hard  to  see,  and  it  will  be  gener- 
ally too  small  a  mark  to  hit  if  you  do  see  it. 

The  daily  life  of  a  deer  in  such  ground  varies  little 
from  his  life  in  the  woods.  He  is,  however,  more  apt 
to  lie  in  valleys  and  under  an  occasional  tree  along  an 
open  hill-side  than  when  in  the  woods,  and  will  often 
take  denser  brush  to  lie  down  in.  But  as  a  rule,  deer 
will  move  from  their  feeding  and  watering  ground  to 
higher,  rougher,  and  more  brushy  ground  to  lie  down 
on.  And  much  hunting  will  surely  drive  them  to 
higher  and  rougher  ground  and  thicker  brush. 

Upon  such  ground  deer  are  much  more  apt  to 
travel  in  paths.  In  the  Spanish-American  States  and 
Territories  there  are  numerous  cattle-trails  which 
deer  are  quite  certain  to  travel;  on  which  tracking  is 
mere  play  as  long  as  they  keep  the  trail;  and  where 
there  are  no  cattle  they  are  apt  to  make  trails  or  run- 
ways of  their  own  up  the  bottom  or  along  the  sides  of 
valleys  and  across  or  along  the  ridge  between  two 
valleys.  In  open  ground  one  can  still-hunt  often  in 
summer  and  early  fall,  while  in  the  woods  he  would 
have  to  await  the  falling  of  the  leaves  for  good  suc- 
cess. 

Here,  too,  water  is  often  much  scarcer  than  in 
timber,  and  often  the  water-holes  are  the  very  best 
places  to  go  to  first  to  find  the  direction  deer  have 
taken.  Sometimes  this  kind  of  ground  will  have  bush 
acorns,  but  if  there  are  none  the  deer  will  find  food 
enough  in  the  leaves  and  twigs  of  the  brush;  so  that 
if  there  is  enough  green  bush  in  sight  you  need  not 
allow  the  question  "  What  is  there  for  them  to  live 
on  ?"  to  trouble  you  in  the  least.  But  should  there  be 
any  groves  of  oaks  or  other  nut  or  fruit  bearing  trees, 
the  fruit  of  which  deer  love,  such  groves  will  be  quite 


The   deer  is   alarmed.      The   first   shot   must   be   a   sure   one. 
Yet  you  must  be  as  steady  as  it"  only  trying  your  rifle  at  a  target. 


STILL-HUNTING   ON  OPEN  GROUND.          159 

sure  to  concentrate  the  game  when  the  nuts  or  fruits 
are  ripe. 

Even  at  the  risk  of  being  considered  tedious,  I  have 
tried  to/0/r^upon  the  learner  the  extreme  importance 
of  seeing  a  deer  before  he  sees  the  hunter,  and  the 
extreme  difficulty,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  of  doing  this. 
If  the  learner  thinks  me  tedious,  I  know  not  what  he 
will  think  of  experience  if  he  waits  for  that  to  force 
this  truth  upon  him.  Now  in  open  ground  this  im- 
portance and  this  difficulty  are  not  a  whit  less  than  in 
timber.  Where  deer  are  very  plenty  the  wider  and 
longer  range  of  view  may  enable  one  to  see  something 
sooner  than  in  the  woods;  but  where  they  are  only 
moderately  plenty,  or  at  all  scarce,  it  generally  be- 
comes, in  such  open  ground  as  is  worth  hunting  at 
all,  quite  as  difficult  to  see  them  as  it  is  in  the  woods. 
And  often,  as  in  case  of  the  chapparal  deer,  it  is  even 
more  difficult. 

To  see  deer  well  in  open  ground  involves  not  only 
all  the  care  and  acuteness  of  sight  necessary  in  the 
woods,  but  needs  some  special  care. 

Some  natural  mistakes  are  often  made  by  the  hunter 
trained  in  the  woods  when  he  first  tries  the  open 
ground. 

ist.   He  does  not  look  far  enough  away. 

2d.   He  does  not  look  close  enough  by. 

3d.  He  forgets  that  the  advantage  he  has  of  wide 
range  of  vision  is  enjoyed  also  by  his  game. 

He  is  apt  to  be  scanning  the  ground  too  much  from 
one  hundred  to  two  hundred  yards  away,  and  lets  a 
little  dark  or  brown  spot  of  life  on  a  hill-side  half  or 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  away  entirely  escape  his  eye. 
And  many  a  deer  standing  in  brush  within  fifty  yards 
of  him  may  either  stand  still  and  let  him  pass  by, 


160  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

knowing  that  he  does  not  see  him,  or  he  may  slip 
quietly  out  of  it  and,  with  head  and  tail  both  down 
low,  vanish  down  some  little  ravine  like  a  snake  glid- 
ing over  velvet. 

A  deer,  too,  on  this  kind  of  ground  can  see  a  man 
almost  as  far  as  an  antelope  can,  and  often  nearly  as 
quickly.  And  he  can  here  distinguish  a  man  at  rest 
or  motionless  much  quicker  than  he  can  in  the  woods. 
Hence  caution  in  showing  your  head  over  a  ridge  be- 
comes even  more  important  than  it  does  in  the  woods. 

Some  of  the  advantages  that  the  hunter  here  has 
over  a  deer  are  very  great.  Aided  by  a  glass,  or  even 
by  his  naked  eye  if  he  takes  proper  care  and  hunts 
when  the  game  is  on  foot,  he  can  discover  a  deer  be- 
fore it  sees  him  at  a  distance  so  great  that  there  is 
little  danger  of  immediately  alarming  it.  He  can 
then  decide  what  are  his  prospects  for  getting  closer, 
and  settle  upon  the  best  modes  of  approach.  He  can 
tell  what  the  game  is  doing,  how  long  it  will  be  likely 
to  remain  where  it  is,  which  way  it  will  be  likely  to 
go,  and  about  where  to  find  it  if  it  shall  have  moved 
while  he  is  approaching  it.  He  can  calculate  its  dis- 
tance better,  get  a  better  opportunity  for  a  good  rest 
for  a  long  shot,  have  a  better  prospect  for  several 
shots,  and  can  see  more  of  the  missing  balls  strike 
ground,  and  by  their  aid  correct  his  errors  of  eleva- 
tion, etc.  He  has  also  a  much  better  opportunity  to 
head  off  game  that  has  been  started,  or  get  a  shot 
at  it  by  a  sudden  dash,  and  to  put  himself  in  the  path 
of  game  that  he  sees  moving  anywhere  toward  him. 
His  prospects,  too,  for  following  up  game  that  has 
been  started  are  often  so  good  that  it  often  rewards 
his  pains,  where  in  the  woods  certain  failure  would 
be  the  result.  But  the  great  advantage,  especially 


STILL-HUNTING   ON   OPEN  GROUND.          161 

for  one  who  has  arrived  at  that  period  of  life  when  he 
discovers  that  work  is  not  an  indispensable  ingredient 
of  the  pleasure  of  hunting,  is  in  often  being  able  to 
hunt  a  vast  number  of  acres  with  the  eye  while  the 
body  is  in  a  state  of  blissful  repose  upon  some  sunny 
rock  or  shady  point;  the  spirits  meanwhile  being  kept 
in  a  state  of  elegant  tranquillity  by  the  reflection  that 
just  at  hand  is  a  saddle  for  which  to  exchange  that 
rock  when  you  wish  to  move  on. 

On  the  whole,  it  may  be  said  that  the  open  ground 
is  generally  the  best  for  the  lazy  hunter  and  the  bung- 
ler, and  out  of  an  equal  number  of  deer  to  the  square 
mile  much  the  best  for  success.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  woods  give  scope  to  the  greater  skill  and  care, 
and  give  a  deeper  satisfaction  to  him  who  values  game 
more  for  the  skill  required  to  bag  it  than  as  a  thing  to 
eat  or  boast  of. 

On  this  kind  of  ground  you  will  be  very  apt  to  be 
the  victim  of  a  new  trick.  In  the  woods  you  found 
that  evanescence  was  the  invariable  rule  of  action 
with  all  deer  as  soon  as  they  discovered  you.  But 
you  will  now  meet  a  deer  that  will  hide  or  skulk 
silently  away  in  brush  quite  as  often  perhaps  as  he 
will  try  to  avoid  you  by  running.  All  kinds  of  deer 
when  inhabiting  very  dense  cover  learn,  as  nearly  all 
wild  animals  do,  that  skulking  out  of  sight  is  just  as 
effective  as  running,  and  much  cheaper.  The  reason  we 
have  so  far  seen  no  skulking  deer  was  that  in  woods 
open  enough  for  successful  still-hunting  there  is  not 
enough  thick  cover  to  hide  a  deer  from  a  man  only 
a  few  yards  off.  But  on  such  open  ground  as  is 
worth  hunting  there  is  generally  considerable  of  such 
cover,  and  in  many  places  you  cannot  get  high  enough 
above  it  to  see  down  into  it.  This  cover  a  deer  knows 


162  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

at  once.  Hence  the  same  deer  that  in  the  woods  will 
start  at  the  faintest  crack  of  a  twig  two  hundred  yards 
away,  when  he  goes  to  the  dense  brush  on  the  edge  of 
the  timber,  the  long  slough  grass  of  the  prairies,  or  the 
chapparal  of  the  open  hills,  may  let  you  walk  within 
ten  yards  of  him  without  moving.  He  may  be  lying 
down  and  continue  lying  perfectly  still,  as  a  wild-cat, 
fox,  or  coyote  often  does  in  cover.  He  may  be  feed- 
ing and  simpl}'  drop  his  head  and  neck  out  of  sight 
and  stand  still.  Or  he  may  be  running  with  high 
elastic  bounds,  then  suddenly,  on  reaching  the  right 
kind  of  brush,  drop  into  a  low  sneaking  trot,  then 
come  to  a  walk,  and  then  stand  still  with  head  down 
and  body  motionless.  In  Southern  California  deer 
that  will  weigh  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  can 
almost  sneak  out  of  sight  in  a  potato-patch.  Well  as 
I  know  the  trick  and  their  capacity  for  playing  it,  I  am 
yet  occasionally  amazed  by  seeing  them  disappear  in 
brush  scarcely  waist-high.  In  following  up  wounded 
ones  in  brush  not  over  waist-high  I  have  frequently 
been  unable  to  catch  sight  of  them,  although  I  could 
hear  them  start  and  run  only  a  few  yards  ahead. 
And  yet  the  natural  gait  of  these  deer  is  a  bound,  or 
rather  bounce,  so  high  that  a  buck  will  often  throw 
his  whole  body,  legs  and  all,  clear  of  brush  five  or  six 
feet  high.  This  is  a  trick  that  there  seems  no  good 
way  of  circumventing.  Where  you  know  a  deer  is 
hiding  from  you,  you  may  sometimes  get  on  higher 
ground  and  see  a  bit  of  his  jacket  ;  or  you  may  sit 
do\vn  and  wait  for  him  to  move.  But  there  seems  no 
way  to  make  him  stir  unless  you  send  a  dog  in  after 
him.  Breaking  of  brush,  slapping  of  hands,  bleating, 
stone-throwing,  etc.  etc.,  will  seldom  avail.  Some- 
times giving  them  your  scent  will  move  them;  but 


STILL-HUNTING   ON  OPEN  GROUND.          1G3 

when  they  once  get  in  good  brush  with  the  intention 
of  hiding  they  will  rarely  move  for  anything  but  a 
clog.  Consequently  you  gain  nothing  in  such  ground 
by  making  a  noise  in  walking.  For  you  can  move 
nothing  that  has  intended  to  hide,  but  may  move 
several  deer  that  would  have  known  nothing  of  your 
approach  if  you  had  kept  still.  It  is  impossible  to 
estimate  the  proportion  of  deer  that  will  thus  hide,  as 
in  most  cases  we  know  nothing  of  them.  A  deer,  too, 
may  hide  to-day  and  let  you  pass  within  five  yards  of 
him  that  to-morrow,  on  ground  equally  good,  will 
start  two  hundred  yards  from  you  and  run  a  mile 
without  stopping. 

Nor  do  deer  always  confine  this  trick  to  dense 
brush.  On  tolerably  open  ground  where  the  only 
brush  consisted  of  isolated  clumps  of  sumac  and  other 
bushes  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  or  even  as  many  yards, 
apart  I  have  repeatedly  known  them  lie  without 
moving  in  these  clumps  of  bushes  while  I  passed  all 
around  them  in  their  wind,  sight,  hearing,  etc.  A 
thoroughly  trained  dog  that  can  be  trusted  a  few 
yards  from  your  heels  is  the  best  thing  for  such  cases, 
as  often  you  cannot  rouse  the  deer  without  kicking  in 
the  very  bush  where  it  happens  to  be.  There  is  no 
reason  why  a  well-bred  pointer  or  setter  cannot  be 
broken  to  point  deer  as  well  as  birds.  I  broke  a  fox- 
hound puppy  to  do  it,  and  have  seen  him  make  as 
fair  a  point  as  ever  a  dog  made  on  a  woodcock,  except 
that  he  sat  up  instead  of  straightening  out. 

While  you  must  always,  in  hunting  such  ground, 
bear  in  mind  the  possibility  of  deer  thus  hiding,  you 
must  still  govern  all  your  actions  and  movements  by  the 
presumption  that  they  will  act  as  you  have  seen  them  do 
in  the  woods.  For  this  will  be  the  greatest  difficulty 


164  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

you  will  have  to  meet.  The  deer  that  hide  may  as 
well  be  counted  out.  Your  bag  must  be  made  up  from 
the  number  of  those  that  would  run  away  or  which 
you  can  catch  without  giving  them  an  opportunity  to 
consider  what  they  will  do. 

It  is  still  more  expedient  than  in  case  of  timber- 
deer  to  hunt  these  open-country  deer  during  th.e  time 
of  day  when  they  are  on  foot.  For  they  are  a  beast 
of  exceeding  perversity  and  scorn  all  the  hundred 
and  one  nice  places  that  you  select  for  them  to  lie  in. 
Moreover,  they  will,  especially  when  much  hunted, 
lie  so  much  in  heavy  brush  that  you  can  rarely  get  a 
good  shot  if  you  do  start  one  from  his  bed.  Besides 
this  they  are  much  more  apt  to  skulk  if  lying  down 
when  they  hear  you  than  if  standing.  Nevertheless, 
when  deer  are  keeping  on  ground  covered  only  with 
isolated  clumps  of  high  brush,  whether  on  the  ridges 
or  in  valleys,  excellent  sport  may  often  be  had  by 
jumping  them.  Especially  is  this  so  where  one  is  a 
good  tracker  on  bare  ground,  or  there  is  snow  enough 
to  track  by. 

Much  more  advantage  can  be  taken  of  the  running- 
time  in  open  ground  because  a  running  deer  can  be 
seen  at  so  much  greater  distance.  Good  speed  must, 
however,  be  made,  if  you  have  any  distance  to  go,  to 
get  ahead  on  the  course  of  a  running  deer. 

On  open  ground  it  is  quite  as  essential  to  distin- 
guish the  night  beds  and  tracks  from  those  made  by 
day  as  it  is  in  timber.  For  at  night  a  deer  is  seldom 
afraid  to  go  anywhere,  and  will  jump  the  fence  of  a 
garden  that  he  will  be  a  mile  away  from  at  daybreak. 

So,  too,  noise  must  be  avoided  as  far  as  possibly 
consistent  with  proper  speed.  A  careless  walker  will 
indeed  get  shots  at  deer  in  open  country  where  in  the 


Your  difficulties  are  vastly  increased  by  timber.  You  should 
have  been  on  the  ridge.  Now  his  loss  is  certain,  whereas  you 
might  have  had  a  chance  if  on  high  ground. 


STILL-HUNTING  ON  OPEN  GROUND.          165 

Aroods  with  the  same  amount  of  noise  he  would  not 
get  even  a  sight  of  them.  So  even  the  best  of  hunters 
must  often  make  a  noise  in  the  brush  of  open  ground. 
But  though,  on  account  of  the  greater  distances  of 
game,  etc.,  in  open  ground,  noise  is  not  so  fatal  to  suc- 
cess as  in  the  woods,  it  still  docs  no  good  and  may  do 
harm.  Where  a  noisy  hunter  sees  one  deer,  two  slip 
away  without  his  dreaming  of  their  existence. 

The  question  of  wind  is  sometimes  more  important 
and  at  other  times  less  important  than  in  the  woods. 
A  cafion,  valley,  or  even  a  hill  may  alter  the  course 
of  the  wind  that  a  moment  ago  you  thought  you  had 
in  your  face.  And  a  canon  carries  the  wind  farther 
and  faster  than  any  current  in  the  woods.  On  ridges, 
etc.,  it  is  of  not  so  much  consequence,  as  the  currents  of 
the  intermediate  valleys  will  generally  keep  the  scent 
from  crossing  from  ridge  to  ridge.  The  distance,  too, 
at  which  game  may  be  seen  often  makes  it  of  less  im- 
portance than  it  is  in  the  woods  where  the  distances 
are  less. 

The  question  of  sun  is  here  of  more  importance 
than  anywhere  else.  And  where  your  game  must  be 
seen  at  very  long  distances,  as  on  long  rolling  prairie- 
or  table-land,  or  long  wavy  hills  without  much  ele- 
vation, everything  else  should  often  be  sacrificed  to  it. 

The  "  lay  of  the  land"  is  here  quite  as  important  to 
lea"rn  as  it  is  in  the  woods.  And  what  is  known  as 
"the  run  of  the  deer"  is  even  more  so,  for  it  is  more 
variable.  You  must  be  careful  how  you  decide  that 
there  is  no  game  until  you  have  searched  not  only 
different  kinds  of  ground,  different  kinds  of  brush,  but 
especially  different  elevations.  I  have  often  found 
fine-looking  ground  bare  of  deer,  and  a  mile  away 
found  plenty  on  the  same  kind  of  ground.  But  they 


166  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

were  a  thousand  feet  higher  up.  In  the  cold  nights 
of  fall  and  winter  the  elevation  often  is  very  import- 
ant. The  belt  or  stratum  of  warmest  air  lies  between 
five  hundred  and  two  thousand  feet  above  sea-level, 
the  valleys  being  very  cold  as  well  as  the  very  high 
land.  During  the  night  and  during  the  time  deer 
stand  in  the  morning  sun  they  will  be  more  apt  to 
be  found  along  this  belt  than  anywhere  else. 


DEER  ON  OPEN  GROUND.  1C? 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DEER    ON    OPEN    GROUND. 

PERHAPS  the  most  important  question  in  hunting 
open  country  is  where  to  walk,  on  high  or  low  ground. 
This  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  question  of 
where  to  hunt,  on  high  or  low  elevations — a  question, 
as  we  have  seen,  can  in  general  be  satisfactorily  an- 
swered only  by  an  actual  inspection  of  the  ground 
itself  as  all  ground  worth  hunting  must  be  examined. 
But  having  selected  the  elevation  of  ground  which 
contains  the  most  game,  then  arises  the  question, 
Where  shall  I  walk,  on  high  or  low  ground  ? 

Very  good  authority  says,  "Always  keep  on  high 
ground."  As  we  have  seen,  this  is  nearly  always  the 
best  plan  in  the  woods.  But  for  open  country  the 
advice  is  bad,  because  stated  without  the  exceptions, 
which  are  fully  equal  to  the  rule  itself.  As  watch- 
towers,  as  shields  behind  which  to  approach  your 
game  without  it  seeing  you,  ridges  and  hills  are  so 
essential  that  if  there  are  none  you  may  generally 
pronounce  the  ground  worthless  for  still-hunting 
game  at  all  wild,  especially  antelope.  But  it  by  no 
means  follows  that  one  should  do  most  of  his  walk- 
ing on  the  high  ground. 

Where  the  ridges  are  low  and  the  valleys  narrow,  it 
is  generally  best  to  keep  upon  the  ridges  nearly  all  of 
the  time,  certainly  during  the  time  the  deer  are  on 
foot.  And  where  the  ridges  are  low  and  the  interven- 
ing valleys  are  so  narrow  that  you  will  not  have  to 


168  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

take  too  long  shots  at  anything  running  from  the  val- 
ley up  the  opposite  ridge,  then  it  is  better  to  remain 
on  the  ridges  even  during  such  time  as  the  deer  are 
lying  down.  But  when  the  ridges  are  high  and  the 
valleys  broad  between  them,  then  it  may  be  folly  to 
hunt  upon  the  ridges  at  all,  even  during  the  time 
when  the  deer  are  on  foot. 

Two  things  must  determine  your  choice  of  eleva- 
tion for  walking: 

ist.  Where  are  the  most  deer  keeping,  in  the  val- 
leys or  on  the  ridges  ? 

2d.  From  which  ground  can  I  the  more  easily  ap- 
proach and  get  a  shot  at  them,  the  high  or  low  ? 

If  the  valleys  are  of  any  breadth  at  the  bottom — 
say  from  forty  or  fifty  yards  upward — and  contain 
good  feed  or  browse,  which,  as  well  as  water,  they  wilt 
be  quite  apt  to  contain,  then  the  greater  number  of 
deer,  if  not  much  disturbed,  will  often  be  found  in 
the  valley  at  all  times  of  the  day.  Especially  will 
this  be  the  case  where  the  valley  is  several  hundred 
yards  and  more  in  width.  So  also  they  may  often  be 
found  all  day  in  valleys  so  narrow  at  the  bottom  as 
to  be  mere  ravines,  as  is  often  the  case  in  stormy 
weather. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  hills  are  well  broken  into 
brushy  gulches,  basins,  and  pockets,  the  deer  will  be 
quite  likely  to  prefer  them  to  the  valleys,  and  if  much 
hunted  will  be  quite  certain  to  do  so.  The  warm  belt 
mentioned  in  the  last  chapter,  and  other  questions 
heretofore  discussed,  will  go  far  to  determine  this 
matter,  although  it  cannot  be  definitely  decided  in 
any  way;  and  there  will  nearly  always  be  some  deer 
in  both  places,  the  only  question  being  as  to  the 
preponderance. 


DEER   ON  OPEN  GROUND.  169 

Suppose  now  the  deer  are  in  the  valleys  and  the 
hills  are  high  ;  the  deer  are  on  foot  and  you  are  on 
the  hills.  You  see  a  deer  feeding  in  the  valley,  but 
he  is  at  least  a  hundred  yards  from  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  and  the  hill  is  nearly  two  hundred  yards  high. 
This  makes  the  distance  too  long  for  accurate  shoot- 
ing even  on  a  level,  and  a  down-hill  shot  of  that  length 
is  the  very  worst  you  could  have. 

You  will  get  closer  then,  will  you  ?  Very  good. 
But  you  will  rarely  do  it  by  going  down  the  hill  on  the 
valley  side.  Of  all  ways  to  approach  a  deer  the  worst 
is  down  hill  in  his  sight,  unless  the  hill  be  such  that 
you  can  slide  yourself  down  it  sitting  or  lying  down. 
And  even  that  is  bad  eno'ugh.  Either  deer  or  ante- 
lope can  see  anything  above  them  about  as  quickly 
as  they  can  anything  below;  at  all  events,  quickly 
enough.  In  sneaking  down  hill  you  show  more  of 
your  body  than  in  crawling  up  hill,  make  quicker 
motions,  cannot  hide  behind  trees  and  bushes  so  well, 
and  cannot  stop  yourself  so  quickly  when  a  deer 
raises  his  head  as  when  you  are  going  up  hill.  An- 
other very  important  point  is  that  a  deer  on  low 
ground  can  often  notice  any  motion  above  him  quite 
as  well  when  his  head  is  down  as  when  it  is  up.  But 
if  you  are  below  him  on  a  hill-side  he  can  rarely  notice 
you  when  his  head  is  down.  Deer  cannot,  indeed, 
either  smell  or  hear  you  so  well  when  you  are  above 
them,  but  the  difference  is  not  enough,  in  case  of  high 
hills  and  long  slopes,  to  outweigh  the  difference  in 
the  advantage  they  have  for  seeing  you.  On  the 
whole,  never  try  to  creep  down  hill  upon  deer,  and  es- 
pecially upon  antelope,  if  you  can  possibly  get  a  shot 
in  any  oilier  way.  Your  chances  are  but  little  better, 
even  when  the  hill-side  is  covered  with  timber,  unless 


170  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

there  are  very  thick  trunks  behind  which  to  move. 
Going  down  hill  one  is  apt  to  think  himself  unseen 
because  he  does  not  see  the  deer.  But  the  deer, 
meanwhile,  sees  his  legs. 

So  you  conclude,  then,  that  you  will  go  down  the 
back  side  of  the  hill  and  get  into  the  valley  in  that 
way.  This  is  well  enough  ;  but  stop  a  moment. 
That  valley  is  some  three  hundred  yards  in  width  at 
the  bottom.  It  is  covered  more  or  less  with  bushes 
higher  than  your  head.  There  are  indeed  plenty  of 
openings  in  all  directions,  the  bushes  being  only  scat- 
tered clumps.  But  when  you  get  down  there  all  will 
look  alike.  Before  you  can  find  your  deer  he  may 
move  or  get  into  cover,  and  while  looking  for  him 
you  may  start  another  one  or  two  that  you  have  not 
seen  from  the  hill.  So  you  see  that,  everything  else 
being  right — such  as  the  wind,  quiet  walking,  etc. — 
you  might  about  as  well  have  been  in  the  valley  at 
first  as  to  have  taken  all  the  trouble  to  climb  this 
high  hill.  And  such  you  will  find  to  be  the  general 
rule  where  deer  are  at  all  plenty  and  the  low  ground 
is  suitable  for  walking.  Of  course  if  the  low  ground 
is  brushy,  and  especially  if  noisy,  or  if  it  is  too  bare 
of  cover  to  protect  you  from  a  deer's  eyes,  or  if 
you  cannot  get  the  wind  in  your  face,  you  should 
keep  the  high  ground.  And  where  deer  are  very 
scarce  the  high  ground  is  best,  as  your  chances  of 
seeing  one  at  all  are  so  slender  that  you  need  every 
advantage  to  see  it.  In  hunting  among  isolated 
clumps  of  thick  bushes  with  good  openings  between 
for  easy  walking  and  a  view  of  a  hundred  or  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  in  most  directions,  one  has,  even 
on  level  ground,  a  fair  chance  to  catch  deer  on  foot 
feeding  before  they  see  him.  This  is  in  fact  about 


DEER    ON  OPEN  GROUND.  171 

the  only  level  ground  worth  still-hunting  at  all.  And 
even  there  the  clumps  of  brush  must  be  thick,  and 
there  should  be  a  good  breeze  in  your  face.  Then 
the  valley  will  generally  be  the  best  place  to  walk. 

So  far  we  have  considered  deer  on  foot  in  the  low 
ground.  Its  advantages  for  walking  when  deer  are 
lying  down  are  often  much  greater.  Unless  you 
have  the  aid  of  snow  as  a  background  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  see  deer  lying  down  in  a  valley;  for  if 
the  day  be  warm  the  deer  will  certainly  lie  in  the 
shade  either  of  a  bush  or  trees,  in  either  of  which 
cases  you  will  have  a  task  to  see  them  if  you  are 
on  the  hills.  Moreover,  if  the  hills  are  high  they 
probably  will  not  start  from  their  beds  even  if 
they  see  you.  And  if  they  do  start  you  are  at  a 
great  disadvantage.  You  probably  will  not  jump 
them  close  enough  for  any  sort  of  a  shot,  and  they  will 
be  almost  certain  to  run  across  the  valley  or  up  or 
down  it — all  bad  shots  for  one  on  the  hill.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  you  are  in  the  valley  you  will  be  quite 
certain  to  start  them,  and  they  will  be  quite  apt  to 
give  you  a  fair  shot ;  for  a  deer  running  from  some- 
thing in  a  valley  is  quite  apt  to  run  up  hill,  and  when 
running  up  hill  a  deer  is  quite  apt  to  stop  two  or 
three  times  in  going  up,  and  is  almost  sure  to  stop  at 
the  top  for  a  final  look.  If  you  are  on  a  hill  and  start 
a  deer,  it  is  because  he  sees  you  and  knows  exactly 
what  you  are.  He  has  no  more  curiosity,  and  is  con- 
cerned only  about  effecting  his  disappearance.  But  if 
you  are  in  the  valley  and  he  starts,  it  is  nearly  always 
because  he  hears  you.  In  such  case  he  does  not  know 
certainly  what  made  the  noise  and  has  a  strong  de- 
sire to  know,  to  which  desire,  if  not  too  much  hunted, 
he  will  be  apt  to  yield. 


172  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

In  a  valley,  however,  the  wind  is  quite  certain  to  be 
moving  one  way  or  the  other,  and  you  may  have  to 
go  around  to  the  head  of  it  and  come  down  it — a  pro- 
ceeding that  may  not  be  profitable  unless  you  are  cer- 
tain that  deer  are  in  there.  If  a  deer  escapes  you  in  a 
valley,  you  have  no  chance  to  get  another  shot  with  a 
quick  dash  as  you  often  have  in  the  hills;  and  you 
are  also  often  deprived  of  that  wide  range  of  vision 
so  essential  when  deer  are  scarce.  But  then  you 
have  a  full  view  of  the  hill-sides,  which,  even  when 
very  bare,  steep,  or  rocky,  are  often  fine  places  for 
deer  to  stand  and  sun  themselves. 

But  suppose  the  valley  to  have  broad  sloping  sid-es, 
furrowed  with  little  ravines,  sprinkled  perhaps  with 
occasional  bushes  or  trees.  It  may  now  be  best  to 
take  the  hill-side  part  of  the  way  up,  where  you  can 
get  a  good  downward  view,  and  a  good  forward 
and  upward  view  along  the  slope.  This  will  gener- 
ally be  far  the  best  place  to  walk,  for  then  the  deer 
will  be  as  apt  to  be  on  the  slopes  as  in  the  valley. 
Especially  is  this  the  best  place  when  the  main  val- 
ley splits  up  into  little  side-valleys,  and  these  again 
into  smaller  ravines  and  pockets,  or  when  there  are 
little  plateaus  along  the  slopes.  And  even  when  the 
hills  are  quite  steep,  if  the  walking  be  good  it  is 
often  best  to  wind  into  all  these  small  valleys  about 
half-way  up  the  hill.  For  the  wind  almost  invariably 
draws  into  such  places  from  the  main  valley. 

If  the  deer  are  in  a  table-land  where  the  ravines 
and  basins  are  not  too  deep  and  wide,  then  the  edges 
of  these  -will  be  the  best  places  to  walk,  and  one  need 
rarely  go  into  them  unless  when  the  deer  are  lying 
down,  in  which  case  (unless  the  ravines  are  narrow 
and  shallow)  your  best  chance  is  in  them.  Not  only 


DEER   ON  OPEN  GROUND.  173 

is  bare  tracking  generally  easier  on  open  ground,  but 
much  more  use  can  be  made  of  tracks.  You  can  see 
at  a  much  greater  distance  the  particular  kinds  of 
ground  which  deer  are  apt  to  frequent  at  different 
times  of  day.  You  can  see  far  away  the  "divides" 
over  or  along  which  trails  will  be  apt  to  pass,  and  can 
take  short-cuts  to  them.  When  you  reach  that  part 
of  the  trail  that  shows  the  deer  are  near  at  hand,  you 
can  sit  down  and  wait  for  them  to  show  themselves. 
When  you  find  tracks  leading  to  a  certain  basin  of 
any  size,  and  see  no  other  ground  near  it  better 
adapted  for  lying-down  ground,  you  may  feel  a  cer- 
tainty that  they  are  there.  Not  only  are  the  tracks 
themselves  apt  to  be  much  more  plainly  visible  than 
they  are  in  the  woods,  but  you  have  an  immense  in- 
crease in  the  ease  of  following  tracks  by  direction. 
When  deer  start  on  a  general  course,  as  from  a 
spring,  you  can  tell  very  nearly  where  they  will  pass 
half  a  mile  away  although  the  trail  itself  may  mean- 
der considerably.  And  where  trails  are  hard  to  fol- 
low, or  it  becomes  necessary  to  leave  the  trail  often  to 
avoid  noise  or  being  seen,  or  because  the  deer  watch 
back,  or  because  the  trail  has  reached  a  place  where 
they  may  have  stopped  and  you  want  to  get  on  the 
highest  ground  to  look,  such  advantages  are  immense. 
A  person  of  quick  comprehensive  mind  for  topog- 
raphy will  soon  use  most  of  these  advantages  in 
timber,  and  in  fact  they  must  be  used  by  the  success- 
ful tracker.  But  even  such  a  person  will  find  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  open  ground  immense. 

In  hunting  open  ground  you  must,  quite  as  much 
as  in  the  woods,  avoid  looking  for  a  deer.  But  spend 
all  your  time  in  looking  at  spots,  patches,  shades  in 
brush,  dark  shadowy  spots  by  the  side  of  bushes, 


174  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

everything  gray,  yellowish,  reddish,  brownish,  or 
blackish.  Even  white  spots  must  not  be  overlooked, 
for  some  varieties  of  deer  show  considerable  white 
behind,  and  all  show  a  little  even  with  tail  down. 
Nothing  must  be  passed  by  with  a  careless  glance 
because  its  shape  is  not  that  of  a  deer.  If  it  has  the 
color  of  a  deer,  give  it  a  second  and  third  look  no 
matter  what  the  shape.  If  it  has  the  shape  of  the 
game,  give  it  a  second  and  third  look  without  regard 
to  its  color.  If  you  are  in  any  doubt  whether  a  thing 
be  a  deer  or  not  and  have  no  glass,  either  get  closer 
without  its  seeing  you  or  wait  a  while  and  see  if  it 
moves.  But  beware  always  how  you  decide  that  any 
dubious  thing  is  not  a  deer.  The  chances  are  hun- 
dreds to  one  against  any  particular  spot  or  shape 
being  a  deer.  Yet  all  the  danger  of  error  lies  in  de- 
ciding in  the  negative.  The  novice  is  quick  to  say, 
"Oh,  that's  no  deer,"  and  pass  along.  It  takes  the 
experienced  hunter  to  say,  "I  really  believe  that's  a 
deer."  Once  in  a  while  a  shot  may  be  thrown  away 
upon  a  rock  or  stump  or  shade,  but  such  is  a  far  bet- 
ter course  than  to  be  always  too  prompt  with  a  nega- 
tive decision.  This  presupposes  due  care  to  see  that 
the  object  be  not  a  person — a  mistake  no  good  hunter 
ever  makes  unless  some  one  is  fool  enough  to  be  out 
hunting  with  a  deer's  hide  or  head,  etc. 

When  the  sun  is  out  nothing  that  shines  or  glistens 
should  escape  your  notice.  When  you  are  between 
the  sun  and  the  deer,  as  you  should  be  if  possible, 
there  will  seldom  be  any  sheen  from  his  coat  or  horns, 
though  you  can  see  him  then  much  more  plainly. 
But  if  he  is  between  you  and  the  sun,  especially  when 
the  sun  is  near  the  horizon,  a  shiny  spot  where  the 
sun  strikes  his  back  may  be  seen  half  a  mile  or  more 
a\vav  when  the  bodv  itself  would  not  be  noticed. 


DEER    ON  OPEN  GROUND.  175 

So  where  a  buck  is  standing  in  brush  you  may  see 
nothing  but  two  or  more  glistening  points  where 
the  sunlight  tips  his  horns,  or  you  may  see  a  faint  line 
of  light  where  it  strikes  the  side  of  a  tine.  But  do 
not  forget  that  you  may  not  be  in  position  to  see  this 
sheen  or  glistening  appearance,  and  consequently  must 
not  assume  that  where  nothing  shines  toward  the  sun 
there  is  therefore  no  deer. 

In  hunting  antelope  not  only  should  every  white 
and  cinnamon  spot  as  far  away  as  it  can  be  seen  be 
investigated  either  with  a  glass  or  by  waiting  for  its 
motion  or  going  closer,  but  even  gray  and  dark  spots 
should  receive  attention.  The  head  and  neck  of  an 
antelope  lying  down  are  quite  hard  to  see  at  a  dis- 
tance, none  of  the  white  of  the  body  may  show  at  all, 
and  the  cinnamon  part  may  cast  a  far  darker  shade 
than  you  would  expect  to  see. 

The  habits  of  deer  in  open  country  will  be  found 
more  variable  than  the  habits  of  the  timber-deer; 
mainly  because  the  nature  and  face  of  the  country 
varies  more,  as  well  as  the  nature,  quantity,  and  ac- 
cessibility of  food,  etc.  Their  habits  will  generally 
be  varied  more  by  hunting,  there  being  generally  a 
greater  variety  of  cover,  etc.,  in  which  to  spend  the 
day.  In  some  places  their  daily  range  will  be  far 
greater  than  in  others.  Such  things  must  be  learned 
by  inquiry  from  hunters  or  from  careful  observation 
in  hunting,  and  often  cannot  be  learned  at  al}  until  it 
is  too  late  to  profit  by  them.  But  all  such  things  I 
must  pass  by,  even  where  I  know  them,  as  the  gen- 
eral information  necessary  to  be  known  will  demand 
too  much  space  to  allow  anything  special  or  local  to 
be  stated  to  any  extent. 


176  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

A    DAY    IN    THE    TABLE-LANDS. 

HAVING  examined  in  the  abstract  still-hunting  in 
open  country,  let  us  now  consider  it  in  the  concrete. 
We  will  select  for  our  hunt  to-day  the  mesa,  or  table- 
land, that  lies  along  the  coast  and  covers  much  of  the 
interior  of  Southern  California.  I  select  this  because 
the  deer  that  live  on  this  are  essentially  open-country 
deer  and  not  timber-deer  happening  in  the  open  coun- 
try. There  are  various  theories  here  about  deer  shift- 
ing from  the  lowlands  to  the  mountains  and  vice  versa. 
But  although  this  is  true  as  to  some  deer,  it  is  not  as 
to  the  majority  of  the  deer  of  the  mesas,  or  table-lands, 
especially  near  the  coast.  Most  of  these  deer  remain 
there  the  year  round,  although  they  are  of  the  same 
variety  as  the  deer  of  the  mountains.  Like  all  deer 
they  are,  however,  subject  at  times  to  a  migratory 
mania  without  any  apparent  cause;  but  as  to  the  ma- 
jority of  deer  it  is  only  at  long  intervals  and  without 
any  regularity.  This  is  a  variety  of  the  mule-deer, 
but  somewhat  smaller  and  shorter-legged  than  the 
mule-deer  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This  deer  is  often 
called  the  "black-tail,"  but  Judge  Caton,  of  the  Illi- 
nois Supreme  Court,  a  naturalist  whose  opinion  is  of 
more  value  than  that  of  all  the  hunters  in  California, 
says  it  is  a  variety  of  the  mule-deer,  although  having 
a  black  tail.  Its  usual  gait  when  alarmed  is  a  perfect 
ricochet,  or  bounce,  all  four  feet  being  grouped  close  up 


A   DAY  IN    THE    TABLE-LANDS.  177 

as  it  rises  and  all  striking  the  ground,  not  one  after  the 
other,  but  all  at  once,  not  with  a  touch  as  do  the  feet 
of  the  white-tailed  or  Virginia  deer,  but  with  a  violent 
blow  that  sends  the  animal  three  or  four  feet  in  air  in 
a  twinkling.  Though  this  is  a  tiresome  gait,  this  deer 
will  hold  it  with  surprising  speed  for  half  a  mile  or 
even  a  mile  or  more.  All  ground  is  about  alike  to 
these  deer,  and  either  up  or  down  hill,  across  gullies, 
over  rocks,  among  boulders,  through  brush,  or  along 
steep  hill-sides,  they  can  accomplish  a  hundred  per 
cent  more  of  disappearance  per  second  than  any  other 
animal  that  lives. 

Owing  to  the  entire  absence  of  persecution  in  the 
past  and  the  comparatively  small  amount  to  which 
they  are  subjected  now,  these  deer  are  mere  block- 
heads compared  with  those  of  the  Eastern  woods, 
whose  ancestors  have  been  harried  until  wildness  be- 
comes a  second  nature  transmissible  to  progeny,  and 
whose  natural  wildness  thus  acquired  has,  from  the 
spotted  baby-jacket  upward,  been  kept  at  the  finest 
point  of  cultivation  by  the  incessant  crack  of  the  still- 
hunter's  rifle.  Nevertheless  they  are  wild  enough  by 
nature  to  make  some  care  necessary;  they  become 
wild  surprisingly  quick  when  hunted  a  little,  and  even 
with  the  tamest  of  them  the  most  scientific  hunting  is 
the  most  profitable.  I  shall  therefore  adhere  to  my 
general  plan  and  consider  them  as  if  all  very  wild. 

The  table-land  we  shall  try  to-day  is  quite  bare  in 
places;  in  other  places  it  is  covered  with  a  dark  cedar- 
like  brush  from  waist-high  to  as  high  as  your  head. 
Here  and  there  run  valleys  from  fifty  to  four  hundred 
feet  deep.  Some  are  narrow  at  the  bottom;  others  are 
two  hundred  yards  or  more  in  width.  Some  are  half 
a  mile  long;  others  are  several  miles  long.  All  of 


178  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

them  have  plenty  of  arms  and  branches.  And  the  top 
of  the  table-land  contains  numerous  little  ravines 
and  swales  leading  into  these  valleys,  and  numerous 
brushy  basins  and  plateaus  along  their  edges  caused 
by  washes  and  slides  in  years  of  excessive  rain. 

The  first  question  is,  Where  shall  we  walk,  upon  the 
high  ground  or  in  the  valleys  ? 

We  shall  have  little  trouble  to  decide  this  question 
to-day.  For  the  table-land  is  in  many  places  too  bare 
to  contain  any  deer.  And  this  brush  that  you  see  is 
just  dense  enough  to  stop  all  the  breeze  yet  admit  most 
of  the  sun,  so  that  at  this  time  of  year — August,  a 
month  as  good  as  any  for  still-hunting  here — the  deer 
will  not  remain  in  it  during  the  day.  The  deer  are 
now  in  the  valleys  and  the  brushy  basins  and  ravines 
leading  into  them.  But  the  greater  number  are 
doubtless  in  the  main  valleys  or  their  large  branches, 
as  they  are  very  little  disturbed  here.  Moreover,  this 
brush  is  so  high  and  level  that  we  could  not  see  a 
deer  in  it  unless  it  were  jumping,  and  we  should  prob- 
ably see  few  in  this  way,  as  the  greater  number  would 
simply  skulk. 

Then  how  shall  we  hunt  the  valleys  ?  By  walking 
in  them  or  along  the  edge  of  the  table-land  ? 

If  it  were  no  later  than  eight  o'clock  I  should  say 
keep  the  edge  of  the  mesa  here.  For  this  valley  be- 
fore us  is  neither  wide  nor  deep,  and  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  will  be  about  the  longest  shot  you  would 
have  to  make.  You  can  see  everything  in  the  valley 
so  much  better  from  the  high  ground  that  your  chances 
there  would  have  been  best  two  hours  ago.  But  we 
have  come  out  too  late  to-day;  the  deer  are  now  lying 
down  in  the  valleys,  and  you  cannot  see  them  as  they 
are  in  the  shade.  You  might  walk  along  the  edge  of 


A    DAY  IN    THE    TABLE-LANDS.  179 

the  high  ground  and  pass  half  a  dozen  lying  close  in 
the  dark  green  shade  of  the  sumacs  and  fusicas  in  the 
valley,  watching  you  all  the  time  and  knowing  that 
you  do  not  see  them.  Now  if  you  go  down  the  valley 
you  will  be  far  more  apt  to  start  them;  for  though 
they  will  occasionally  lie  concealed  in  scattered  brush 
and  let  you  pass  near  them,  the  prevailing  rule  is 
quite  the  other  way, —  provided  you  come  close,  say 
fifty  or  sixty  yards.  Though  they  will  often  lie  in  a 
bush  and  look  at  you  at  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  away,  they  will  seldom  let  you  get  as  close 
as  they  often  do  in  very  thick  brush. 

But  even  in  this  wild  country  there  is  such  a  vast 
number  of  acres  to  the  deer  and  such  exceedingly 
liberal  measure  given  for  an  acre  that  it  will  not  do 
to  go  rambling  aimlessly  about,  trusting  to  fortune  to 
start  a  deer.  We  will  therefore  go  to  a  water-hole 
about  half  a  mile  down  that  valley  and  see  if  any  deer 
watered  there  this  morning,  and,  if  so,  which  way  they 
went  when  they  left  it.  But  as  there  is  a  chance  of 
some  deer  being  in  this  end  of  the  valley,  and  as  the 
wind  blows  up  it  from  the  sea,  we  will  go  down  it  just 
as  carefully  as  if  we  knew  some  deer  were  in  it. 

"Winding  down  an  old  cattle-trail  at  its  upper  end 
we  find  ourselves  in  a  little  valley  about  a  hundred 
yards  wide  at  the  widest  points,  about  half  filled  with 
green  bushes  from  four  to  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  but 
containing  plenty  of  open  places,  and  a  cattle-trail 
down  the  center  that  allows  quiet  and  easy  walking. 

Here,  you  see,  are  deer-tracks  and  "sign"  already, 
but  they  are  yesterday's.  Here  have  been  a  big  buck, 
a  doe,  two  fawns,  and  a  smaller  buck  yesterday.  Now 
be  careful,  for  they  may  be  here  again  to-day.  Here, 
you  see,  are  signs  of  two  or  three  days  ago,  showing 


180  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

that  they  have  spent  several  days  here.  But  that  very 
fact  shows  that  it  is  just  as  likely  they  are  not  here 
to-day,  for  deer  seldom  spend  over  two  or  three  days 
in  exactly  the  same  place.  If  they  have  been  here 
that  long  they  are  more  apt  to  be  in  some  other  part 
of  the  valley,  half  a  mile  or  a  mile  away,  or  perhaps 
in  some  adjoining  valley. 

A  few  minutes'  walk  brings  us  to  a  branch  of  the 
main  valley  which  winds  out  of  sight  among  the  hills, 
and  like  the  main  valley  is  well  filled  with  bright  green 
brush.  And  here  in  the  main  trail  we  find  two  tracks 
of  this  morning. 

They  are  either  does  or  young  bucks,  by  the  track. 
As  we  did  not  see  their  tracks  above  here,  it  is  very 
likely  they  turned  off  into  this  branch.  Examination 
of  the  ground  shows  that  they  have  gone  into  the  side 
valley,  and  no  tracks  are  visible  coming  out. 

Now,  although  it  involves  more  work,  we  had  better 
swing  around  to  the  head  of  the  side  valley  and  come 
down  it;  for  the  wind,  you  see,  blows  up  it,  and  the 
most  certain  way  is  to  go  around. 

We  soon  climb  the  hill,  and  taking  the  table-land 
follow  the  course  of  the  little  valley,  keeping  out  of 
sight,  however,  of  the  bottom  of  it;  for  there  is  no 
prospect  of  the  game  being  on  foot  now,  and  it  has 
twenty  times  the  chance  of  seeing  us  that  we  have  of 
seeing  it,  and  if  it  does  see  us  we  should  probably  not 
get  a  fair  shot.  But  here  and  there  the  highland  that 
forms  the  edge  breaks  into  a  little  short  gulch  or 
pocket,  filled  more  or  less  with  brush,  and  into  these 
we  cautiously  peep  as  we  wind  around  their  heads. 
Here's  one  now  that  is  more  brushy  than  usual,  and 
a  deer  might  lie  in  it  without  seeing  you.  Generally 
it  is  not  necessary  to  do  more  than  merely  show 


A    DAY  IN   THE    TABLE-LANDS.  181 

yourself  over  the  edge,  or  give  a  snort  or  bleat  like  a 
deer,  or  even  a  low  whistle.  A  middling  loud  "  Phew  !" 
or  "  Mah  !"  is  the  best,  as  it  is  more  apt  to  make  a  deer 
get  up  and  look  instead  of  running  at  once. 

Five  or  six  of  these  side  gulches  are  passed  without 
seeing  anything,  and  we  reach  the  head  of  the  main 
valley.  Now  let  us  wind  carefully  round  the  head  of 
it  and  see  if  they  have  gone  out,  for  they  may  have 
been  going  to  another  valley.  A  careful  inspection 
shows  no  tracks.  The  ground  is  hard  and  dry,  but 
in  most  places  a  track  could  be  seen.  Moreover,  they 
would  have  been  almost  sure  to  travel  this  well-beaten 
cattle-trail  that  leads  directly  out  of  the  head  of  the 
valley.  They  are  probably  in  the  valley;  and  now  look 
out  sharp  for  tracks  when  we  get  into  it,  but  keep  a 
good  watch  ahead.  Make  an  inspection  of  the  ground 
at  the  mouth  of  every  side  gulch  or  valley  on  the  side 
opposite  the  one  we  came  up. 

About  two  hundred  yards  below  the  head  of  the 
valley  your  eye  catches  a  slight  scrape  on  the  dry 
ground.  You  notice  it  only  by  its  shade  of  color, 
but  it  is  an  unmistakable  scrape.  Just  beyond  it  are 
two  or  three  more,  and  in  one  of  them  the  points  of  a 
hoof  have  raised  a  faint  rim  of  dry  dirt.  And,  see, 
they  lead,  too,  right  toward  a  side  gulch  of  consider- 
able length  which  terminates  some  two  hundred  yards 
up  in  a  pocket.  Follow  them  a  little  further,  so  as  to 
be  sure  they  lead  in  there,  and  then  back  out  and  swing 
around  over  the  hill  to  the  head  of  it;  for  you  see  the 
wind  draws  in  there  too.  The  valley  here  is  not  over 
a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep,  so  that  climbing  the 
hill  is  soon  over,  and  in  a  few  minutes  you  are  peering 
over  into  the  pocket.  But  all  is  still.  You  show  a  little 
more  of  your  head  and  shoulders,  but  nothing  moves. 


182  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

Do  you  see  that  thick  clump  of  dark  green  sumac 
in  the  bottom  ?  Give  a  good  "  Phew  !" 

Your  "  Phew!"  is  followed  by  an  instant  smash-crash, 
bump,  bump,  bump,  and  straight  up  the  opposite  side  of 
the  pocket  go  two  airy  creatures  of  yellowish  brown, 
not  running  or  even  jumping,  but  merely  glancing  from 
the  ground  like  sunbeams  from  a  mirror.  You  made 
your  "  Phew  !"  too  loud  entirely,  and  you  should  have 
kept  out  of  sight  while  you  did  it. 

Bang  !  goes  your  repeater,  and  the  dirt  flies  from 
the  ground  that  one's  feet  have  just  left.  Bang — 
wang — bang — slang — whang!  it  goes;  the  dirt  flies  in 
every  direction  around  the  glossy  pelt,  as  with  a  reg- 
ular bump,  bump,  bump,  and  all  four  feet  grouped  close 
together,  they  seem  to  merely  skim  the  ground  like 
birds.  But  faster  than  you  can  send  the  hissing  lead 
they  clear  the  hill-side,  and  with  a  faint  bump,  bump, 
bump,  and  a  dissolving  view  of  shining  white  but- 
tocks, they  fade  over  its  crest  into  the  brush  beyond. 

It  is  not  quite  so  easy  as  it  would  appear  to  be  to 
hit  such  vibratory  beauty  as  that.  They  are  a  differ- 
ent institution  from  the  deer  you  have  heretofore 
seen,  and  are  the  hardest  animal  of  their  size  to  hit 
with  the  rifle  when  running. 

At  the  water-hole  we  find  a  few  old-looking  cattle- 
tracks  in  the  edge  and  a  few  faint  symptoms  of  old 
deer-tracks.  But  be  not  too  hasty.  Do  you  not  see 
that  all  the  ground  for  yards  around  has  been  run 
over  by  myriads  of  quails  ?  A  dozen  deer  could  have 
watered  at  that  spring  this  morning,  yet  the  ground 
might  now  show  no  sign  of  them.  Let  us  circle 
around  it  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards  or  more  away,  ex- 
amining carefully  the  sides  and  bottom  of  this  branch 
valley  that  leads  in  here  from  one  side.  This  branch 


A   DAY  IN   THE    TABLE-LANDS.  183 

runs  toward  another  valley  nearly  parallel  with  this. 
That  one  contains  no  water,  and  even  if  it  did  deer 
would  be  quite  likely  to  travel  from  one  to  the 
other.  In  so  traveling  they  are  quite  certain  to  go 
up  a  gulch  or  canon  like  this  branch  if  it  leads  in  that 
direction. 

There  is  a  bright-looking  spot  of  pretty  fresh  dirt 
along  the  water-course  at  the  bottom  of  the  gulch 
where  something  has  broken  down  the  dirt  along  its 
edge.  It  seems  to  have  been  done  by  a  hoof,  and 
done,  too,  this  morning.  A  few  yards  farther  on, 
plain  as  the  stamp  of  a  die  upon  lead,  appears  the 
track  of  a  three-year-old  buck,  the  smaller  track  of  a 
two-year-old  or  a  doe — we  cannot  tell  which — and  the 
track  of  a  yearling  or  two.  They  are  marching  in 
Indian  file  right  up  the  center  of  the  gulch  on  one  side 
of  the  dry  sandy  water-course  in  the  center,  occasion- 
ally crossing  it,  but  generally  keeping  pretty  close  to  it. 

Now  you  will  notice  there  is  little  of  the  heavy 
bright  green  sumac  or  other  shady  bushes  in  this 
gulch.  It  is  also  narrow  at  the  bottom,  is  exceed- 
ingly warm,  and  does  not  look  very  inviting  as  a 
place  for  deer  to  lie  down  in  during  the  heat  of  the 
day.  Moreover,  deer  when  at  all  wild  are  not  apt  to 
lie  down  very  near  water,  but  go  half  a  mile  or  a 
mile  away.  Therefore  it  is  highly  probable  that  they 
are  not  in  this  gulch  at  all.  We  can  therefore  climb 
up  to  the  top  and  walk  along  the  level  ground  to  the 
head  of  this  gulch  feeling  an  almost  positive  assurance 
that  we  shall  find  the  tracks  of  our  deer  emerging  upon 
the  table-land  at  the  head  of  it.  But  on  the  way  let 
us  not  forget  that  the  deer  delights  in  abusing  the 
confidence  of  the  hunter.  Therefore,  since  it  will 
be  just  as  easy  to  take  on  our  way  an  occasional 


184  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

peep  over  into  the  gulch,  let  us  do  so.  If  the  deer 
are  still  on  foot,  as  they  may  be,  lounging  slowly 
along,  it  being  not  yet  very  warm,  we  shall  be  quite 
apt  to  see  them.  And  if  we  find  no  tracks  coming 
out  of  the  head  of  the  gulch,  we  shall  then  know  that 
they  have  been  perverse  enough  to  lie  down  in  there. 
And  we  can  then  go  down  it  with  the  wind  in  our 
faces,  and  start  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  get  a  pretty 
fair  shot. 

We  reach  the  head  of  the  gulch,  having  seen  nothing 
on  the  way,  and  there  find  no  tracks.  But  wait.  Do 
not  start  into  the  gulch  too  soon,  on  the  assumption 
that  the  deer  are  lying  in  there.  I  did  not  tell  you 
that  the  deer  would  emerge  at  the  extreme  point  of  it. 
There  are  three  or  four  little  ravines  on  each  side,  and 
some  nice  little  ridges  too,  by  which  they  could  have 
walked  out.  Examine  the  ground  for  a  hundred  yards 
on  each  side,  going  back  several  yards  into  the  brush; 
and  look  with  great  care,  for  all  may  not  now  be 
traveling  together. 

On  the  other  side,  some  fifty  yards  below  the  ex- 
treme point  of  the  gulch,  you  find  quite  a  trail  lead- 
ing out  of  a  little  ravine.  ''Just  like  a  sheep-trail  " 
you  will  probably  report  it  when  you  go  home,  giving 
an  ignorant  person  to  believe  there  were  forty  or  fifty 
deer  using  it.  But  the  whole  has  been  done  by  these 
four  deer. 

And  now  another  question  arises.  Here  are  tracks 
runningboth  ways  and  both  look  equally  fresh.  Have 
the  deer  come  this  way  and  returned,  or  have  they 
gone  that  way  first  and  returned  this  way? 

If  there  were  no  water  in  the  question  this  might  per- 
plex you  a  moment.  But  as  the  tracks  are  evidently 
made  bv  the  same  deer  whose  tracks  we  saw  at  the 


A   DAY  IN    THE    TABLE-LANDS.  185 

mouth  of  the  gulch,  and  as  one  set  of  tracks  leads  to- 
ward the  water  and  the  other  set  leads  away  from  it, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  which  course  is  the  most 
likely  to  be  the  one  they  last  went.  But  to  be  sure 
follow  the  trail  until  you  find  where  one  has  stepped 
in  one  of  the  earlier  tracks. 

This  last  way  is  of  course  sure  where  you  find  such 
a  place.  But  deer  may  return  by  the  side  of  their  told 
tracks.  And  several  may  even  walk  some  distance  in 
a  trail  without  stepping  on  an  old  track  at  all,  or,  at 
all  events,  in  a  place  where  the  dirt  is  soft  enough  to 
plainly  show  which  is  the  upper  track.  In  such  case, 
if  you  think  it  worth  while  to  follow  the  trail  and 
know  nothing  about  the  watering  or  feeding  places  or 
anything  else  likely  to  determine  the  matter,  observe 
the  following  rules: 

ist.  The  tracks  leading  toward  the  highest  ground 
are  likely  to  be  the  freshest. 

2d.  So  are  the  tracks  that  wander  and  straggle  the 
most  from  the  main  trail. 

3d.  So  are  the  tracks  leading  toward  the  most  brushy 
ground  if  the  others  lead  toward  pretty  open  ground. 

4th.  So  are  the  tracks  leading  away  from  where 
there  is  the  most  travel,  noise,  or  disturbance  to  a 
place  more  quiet  and  retired. 

In  nearly  all  such  cases  the  first  set  of  tracks  is 
made  in  the  night  or  early  in  the  morning,  and  the 
other  is  the  returning  track.  If  you  can  apply  none 
of  these  rules,  then  take  the  track  that  gives  you  the 
wind  in  your  face.  And  if  there  is  no  wind,  take  the 
sun  on  your  back. 

At  all  events,  we  will  follow  here  the  trail  that  goes 
away  from  water.  And  we  may  follow  it  quite  fast 
for  some  distance;  for  yonder  in  its  direction  are  the 


186  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

headlands  of  another  valley;  in  this  dark  thin  brush 
through  which  the  trail  now  leads  there  is  little  pros- 
pect of  the  deer  stopping  at  this  time  of  day;  besides, 
it  is  plain  they  are  making  for  yonder  valley,  and  if  so 
they  will  not  be  apt  to  stop  at  all  in  this  stuff. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  the  trail  leads  over  the 
hard  dry  ground  of  the  table-land,  winding  through 
the  most  open  places  of  the  brush,  showing  that  the 
deer  loves  good  open  walking  for  traveling  purposes 
as  well  as  he  does  the  thickest  brush  for  hiding;  and 
this  although  the  thickest  brush  is  no  obstacle  to  him 
when  he  is  a  hurry.  The  trail  is  in  places  almost 
invisible,  but  you  can  still  keep  its  general  course. 
The  bare  hard  pavement-like  stony  concrete  shows  a 
broad  line,  of  a  trifle  more  bareness,  if  possible;  the 
little  fine  hard  mossy  substance  that  covers  much  of 
the  ground  shows  a  broad  line  a  trifle  grayer  than  the 
rest;  and  where  streaks  of  softer  ground  are  occasion- 
ally wet  a  light  scrape  or  rim  of  fine  dust  raised  by  a 
sharp-edged  hoof  meets  the  eye. 

The  head  of  the  other  valley  is  reached,  and  the 
trail  descends  into  that.  This  valley  is  at  least  three 
hundred  yards  wide  from  edge  to  edge;  the  deer  are 
doubtless  lying  down;  the  wind  blows  up  the  valley; 
there  is  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  the  best  place  to 
walk. 

Down  into  the  valley  you  go,  and  find  the  trail  wind- 
ing into  another  old  cattle-trail  that  leads  down  the 
valley.  For  a  quarter  of  a  mile  the  deer  have  kept  the 
cattle-trail;  the  tracking  has  been  easy;  your  nerves 
have  been  on  a  constant  strain.  But  now  comes  the  tug 
of  war.  The  deer  are  leaving  the  cattle-trail.  First 
one  of  them  wanders  off  to  one  side.  Then  another 
leaves  it;  a  few  yards  more  one  straggles  off  on  the 


A    DAY  IN    THE    TABLE-LANDS.  187 

other  side.  Then  that  one  crosses  over  the  trail,  and 
the  last  one  also  leaves  it.  And  now  you  realize  that 
the  decisive  hour  has  arrived. 

Probably  it  has  arrived.  Possibly  it  has  not. 
Those  deer  may  in  that  way  wander  on  for  quarter 
of  a  mile  yet.  But  still  you  must  prepare  to  see  them 
at  any  moment. 

And  now  what  is  the  most  important  thing  to 
attend  to?  Obviously  to  be  in  the  best  position  to 
shoot.  Out  then  from  behind  those  thick  bushes  where 
you  can  see  nothing.  Get  on  the  side  toward  the  sun, 
so  that  you  will  be  more  likely  to  get  a  shot  the  other 
way  instead  of  having  it  flash  into  your  eyes  and 
along  your  rifle-sight  as  the  deer  run  up  hill  per- 
haps directly  toward  it.  Get  on  the  rising  ground 
along  the  edge  of  the  hill  where  you  can  see  some- 
thing. 

Not  an  instant  too  soon  are  you.  For  as  you  reach 
the  rising  ground  and  show  your  head  and  shoulders 
a  yard  or  two  higher  there  is  a  sudden  hollow-toned 
"Phew!"  a  smash  and  crash  of  brush, a'  k-lnmip-bump- 
bump-buinp  of  hoofs  on  the  hard  ground,  and  about 
fifty  yards  ahead  you  see  two  shining  curves  of  brown 
capped  by  white  undulating  through  the  brush. 

Bang !  goes  your  rifle,  and  the  bullet  hisses  clear 
over  one  of  the  curves  and,  glancing  from  the  ground 
beyond,  goes  whizzing  away  on  high.  Almost  as 
quickly  the  curves  disappear  behind  some  bush;  you 
catch  sight  at  the  same  time  of  two  other  deer  with 
heads  down  disappearing  on  a  trot  in  a  brushy  gulch 
on  the  other  side  of  the  valley;  the  first  two  reap- 
pear with  an  occasional  whirl  of  glossy  brown  above 
the  brush  down  the  valley,  while  your  bullets  whiz 
spitefully  far  above  them, 


188  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

You  have  already  learned  the  folly  of  going  after  a 
deer  when  once  started.  This  rule  generally,  though 
not  always,  holds  good  with  these  deer.  But  that 
place  where  those  two  disappeared  on  a  trot  looks 
like  a  pocket  or  basin  containing  thick  brush.  Those 
two  that  went  in  there  acted  as  if  they  would  skulk  if 
they  had  a  good  opportunity.  Just  for  curiosity  fol- 
low them  in  there;  and  do  so  as  fast  as  you  can  go. 

Arriving  there  you  find  it  a  sort  of  deep  pocket 
with  steep  brushy  sides  about  seventy-five  yards  across, 
well  filled  in  the  bottom  with  brush  five  or  six  feet 
high  such  as  we  saw  on  the  level  ground  above,  but 
much  denser. 

You  see  no  motion  or  anything  that  looks  like  a 
deer,  and  hear  no  sound.  You  snort  like  a  deer,  bleat 
like  a  deer,  whistle,  clap  your  hands,  and  finally  yell. 
But  nothing  moves.  A  liberal  shower  of  stones  into 
different  parts  of  the  bush  is  equally  futile.  But  from 
the  way  these  two  ran  off  and  the  fact  that  you  got 
here  so  quickly  without  seeing  them  go  out  it  is  pro- 
bable that  they  are  standing  hidden  within  fifty  yards 
of  you,  or  else  are  sneaking  out  through  the  heaviest 
brush  that  runs  through  the  centre.  Take  that  old 
trail  that  winds  up  one  side  of  the  basin  and  go  up 
until  you  can  see  down  into  the  brush. 

You  follow  the  trail  all  the  way  to  the  top  of  the 
basin,  and  then  walkall  the  way  around  iton  the  edge 
of  the  high  ground.  And  still  you  see  and  hear 
nothing.  But  be  not  too  hasty  to  decide  that  there  is 
nothing  there.  If  they  went  out  so  quickly  that  you 
could  not  see  them  after  running  here  so  fast,  then  it 
is  certain  that  they  went  out  on  a  fast  gait,  either  a 
run  or  a  trot.  In  either  case  the  tracks  will  show 
plainly  anywhere  along  the  edge  of  the  level  ground. 


A   DAY  IN   THE    TABLE-LANDS.  189 

Go  then  around  the  edge  and  look  for  tracks.  If  you 
find  none>  then  you  know  the  deer  are  hiding  in  that 
brush.  In  such  case  you  have  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  try  one  of  the  surest  ways  to  outgeneral  the  skulk- 
ing deer — to  get  on  a  commanding  point  of  view  and 
sit  him  out.  He  cannot  stand  it  a  great  while.  When 
all  is  quiet  for  half  an  hour  or  so — often  a  much  less  time 
will  suffice — the  skulking  deer  gets  uneasy.  He  must 
move  a  little.  And  when  you  are  well  above  him  you 
can  then  hardly  fail  to  see  him. 

But  I  did  not  tell  you  to  lose  sight  of  the  brush  while 
looking  for  those  tracks.  Can  you  not  watch  both  at 
once?  You  must  have  more  ubiquitous  eyes  than  you 
now  exhibit  if  you  expect  much  success  as  a  still- 
hunter.  Look  down  there  where  that  little  cut  at  the 
bottom  of  the  basin  branches  off  from  the  main  gully 
at  the  bottom.  Do  you  not  see  there  a  yellowish 
tinge  of  something  in  the  brush?  Explore  it  at  once 
with  a  bullet.  Why  do  you  hesitate?  It  cannot  be  a 
man  or  any  domestic  animal.  The  loss  of  a  bullet  is 
nothing.  The  noise  will  probably  not  start  the  skulk- 
ers; and  even  if  it  should,  what  could  you  wish  that 
would  be  better? 

And  now  it  is  gone.  So  it  was  a  deer  after  all. 
And  the  fear  of  losing  a  bullet  has  cost  you  a  deer. 

But  run  quickly  to  that  point  that  juts  out  into  the 
basin  near  its  mouth  and  shoot  at  the  first  brown, 
yellow,  wjiite,  or  gray  spot  that  moves  in  the  brush. 

You  get  there  and  look  long  and  keenly,  but  see 
nothing.  Despair  begins  to  settle  upon  you,  when 
suddenly  you  catch  sight  of  a  small  white  spot  with  a 
small  point  of  black  in  the  center  just  disappearing  in 
the  bush  over  the  other  edge  of  the  basin  where  you 
were  a  fc\v  moments  ago.  It  must  have  slipped  up 


190  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

that  ravine  yonder  where  the  brush  appears  scarce  four 
feet  high.  And  yet  you  saw  it  not.  A  second  or  two 
more  and  you  would  not  have  seen  it  at  all.  And 
even  now  you  see  no  head,  no  legs,  no  body;  only  a 
small  target,  and  that  fast  fading  in  the  brush  upon 
the  level  ground. 

How  brightly  gleams  the  sun  upon  the  front  sight 
of  your  rifle  as  it  comes  up!  And  what  a  thrill  of 
satisfaction  you  feel  as  you  see  it  glimmer  in  bright 
relief  full  upon  the  center  of  the  fading  white!  You 
pull  the  trigger,  but  no  sound  of  striking  bullet  comes 
back.  You  go  and  look,  but  there  is  no  sign  of  stum- 
bling, plunging,  or  jumping.  The  deer  has  evidently 
walked  on  quite  unconcerned. 

You  shot  toward  the  sun;  that  is  all.  You  must  be 
careful  how  you  see  your  front  sight  too  plainly  when 
the  sun  is  directly  in  your  eyes;  a  point  we  will  con- 
sider again. 

But  what  about  the  other  one  ?  Did  it  go  off  with 
this  one  ? 

Perhaps  it  did.     Examine  the  track  and  see. 

You  follow  the  track  a  few  yards  in  the  course  it 
has  taken,  but  observe  no  sign  of  more  than  one  deer. 
Turning  backward  toward  the  basin,  you  catch  sight 
of  a  deer  some  two  hundred  yards  away  gayly  bound- 
ing up  the  main  valley  near  where  you  first  started 
the  four. 

You  naturally  wonder  if  that  could  not  possibly  be 
the  other  deer  that  was  hiding.  But  you  might  better 
wonder  if  it  could  possibly  be  any  other  one,  so  close 
to  where  you  first  started  them,  and  in  full  bound  too. 
I  did  not  tell  you  to  lose  sight  of  the  basin  while  look- 
ing for  the  other  one's  track.  You  could  have  found 
it  just  as  well  by  looking  down  the  side  of  the  basin 


£    S 


A    DA  Y  IN    THE    TABLE-LANDS.  191 

as  by  following  it  away  into  the  brush  where  you 
could  not  see  what  was  going  on  in  the  basin.  There 
is  no  use  of  sitting  down  now.  There  is  no  proba- 
bility that  there  is  anything  left  to  sit  out.  But  as  it 
lies  in  your  way  back  and  will  cost  you  neither  time 
nor  trouble,  you  may  look  at  the  mouth  of  the  pocket. 
Ten  to  one,  you  will  now  find  the  tracks  of  a  deer  run- 
ning out  of  it.  In  the  future  be  careful  how  you  trifle 
with  the  skulking  deer. 


192  THE  STILL-HUNTER, 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

ANOTHER  KIND  OF  OPEN  GROUND. 

THE  ground  now  breaks  into  a  range  of  hills  which 
in  the  Eastern  States  would  be  called  "mountains." 
There  are  three  or  four  peaks  twelve  hundred  to  fif- 
teen hundred  feet  high  from  which  the  land  descends 
in  smaller  hills  and  slopes  for  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
or  so,  forming  numerous  gulches,  little  ravines,  basins, 
and  a  few  small  plateaus.  Scarcely  a  single  tree  is  in 
sight,  but  all  the  side  of  the  hills  is  more  or  less  cov- 
ered with  brush.  This  brush  is  in  most  places  not 
over  waist-high,  and  is  quite  thin  enough  for  com- 
fortable walking.  But  in  some  places,  as  in  and 
around  the  heads  of  ravines,  the  brush  is  denser  and 
often  higher  than  one's  head.  Many  of  the  basins 
and  plateaus,  as  well  as  some  of  the  lower  ridges, 
are  more  or  less  covered  with  large  clumps  of  scat- 
tered bushes,  luxuriant  and  green.  On  the  whole,  it 
is  excellent-looking  ground  for  deer  to  live  on,  for 
the  hunter  to  get  sight  of  them  and  to  get  a  shot  at 
them. 

There  appears,  however,  one  difficulty;  and  as  it  is 
one  we  shall  frequently  meet  on  open  ground,  espe- 
cially in  all  those  States  and  Territories  where  there 
is  no  rain  during  a  large  part  of  the  summer  or 
autumn,  we  will  consider  it  now. 

Although  the  brush  is  in   most  places  thin  enough 


ANOTHER  KIND   OF  OPEN  GROUND.          193 

for  comfortable  walking,  yet  it  is  too  thick  to  walk 
through  without  touching  it.  Much  of  it  is  dry  and 
brittle,  and  cracks  and  snaps  at  the  least  touch.  The 
ground,  too,  is  more  or  less  carpeted  with  sun- 
dried  grass  and  flowers  of  various  kinds  that  crackle 
under  the  lightest  tread  of  the  softest  moccasins. 
With  the  utmost  care  you  can  use  you  still  make  such 
a  noise  that  in  the  woods  where  we  began  hunting 
you  would  see  .not  a  tail  the  live-long  day. 

It  would  indeed  be  useless  to  hunt  such  noisy 
ground  as  this  in  the  woods.  The  best  still-hunters 
of  the  Eastern  woods  will  almost  invariably  refuse  to 
hunt  when,  as  they  say,  "the  woods  are  too  noisy." 
We  have  already  seen  one  reason  why  your  noise  is 
not  so  apt  to  alarm  deer  on  open  ground — the  greater 
distances,  more  wind,  and  the  absence  of  trees.  But 
beyond  all  these  it  is  evident  that  these  deer  do  not 
start  from  noise  as  quickly  as  timber-deer  do.  That 
is,  all  do  not.  If  they  did,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
get  many  close  shots  on  such  open  ground  as  is 
brushy  enough  to  contain  many  deer.  The  hunter 
soon  finds  this  out,  and  hence  is  apt  to  conclude  that 
since  he  cannot  go  quietly  anyhow,  and  as  the  deer 
do  not  mind  noise,  there  is  no  use  in  trying  to  walk 
quietly.  Once  in  a  while  we  meet  a  man  foolish 
enough  to  think  that  the  more  noise  he  makes  the 
better,  as  if  the  deer  needed  flushing  like  quail. 

All  this  proceeds  from  hasty  reasoning  from  care- 
lessly gathered  premises.  While  it  is  true  that  many 
of  the  deer  do  not  run  from  a  noise  that  would  send  a 
timber-deer  flying  before  you  got  sight  of  him  at  all 
— and  here  I  refer  not  to  the  skulkers,  but  to  those 
that  intend  to  run  but  wait  a  while  to  see  what  makes 
the  noise — it  is  equally  true  that  many  others  do  run 


194  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

at  the  slightest  snap  of  a  twig,  just  as  the  timber-deer 

does. 

The  proper  way  to  hunt  here  is  to  avoid  noise  as 
much  as  you  can  by  selecting  trails,  easing  off  brush 
with  your  hands,  going  around  it,  crawling  through  it, 
etc.,  but  never  to  assume  that  there  is  nothing  just 
ahead  of  you  because  you  have  just  had  to  make  a 
noise  in  tearing  through  some  brush  that  you  could 
not  get  around.  In  short,  make  no  noise;  but  if  you 
must  make  some,  do  not  be  concerned  about  it,  but 
go  on  the  same  as  if  you  had  made  none  at  all. 

And  now  another  question  perplexes  you;  viz.,  how 
high  up  the  side  of  this  range  of  hills  to  walk? 

A  common  mistake  in  hunting  such  ground  is  going 
too  high  up.  Although  you  will  find  some  tracks  and 
droppings  nearly  up  to  the  top  of  those  peaks,  yet  the 
deer  are  rarely  there  in  the  daytime.  Most  of  those 
tracks  are  made  by  deer  crossing  the  top  to  the  other 
side,  but  in  no  particular  haste  about  getting  over. 
It  will  rarely  be  worth  while  to  hunt  there,  and  it  is 
also  too  far  away  to  command  a  view  of  the  lower 
slopes  and  foot-hills.  This  applies,  however,  only  to 
such  ranges  as  are  narrow  at  the  top.  If  they  are 
broad-topped  and  contain  plateaus,  basins,  etc.,  on 
the  top,  then  the  top  may  be  the  best  place. 

If  deer  are  not  at  all  disturbed,  the  lowest  foot-hills 
and  ravines  of  such  hills  as  these  will  contain  about 
as  many  deer  as  any  part  of  them.  But  if  disturbed 
by  hunters,  herdsmen,  or  sheep,  etc.,  they  will  go 
higher.  As  a  rule,  the  middle  tier  of  the  hills  is  the 
best  to  hunt;  as  it  is  not  only  apt  to  contain  as  many 
deer  as  any  part,  but  commands  a  good  view  of  the 
Mpper  and  lower  slopes  and  ravines. 

But  what   means   that  motion   in   yonder   bush,  in 


ANOTHER  KIND    OF  OPEN  GROUND.          195 

that  little  basin  about  three  hundred  yards  away  and 
a  hundred  feet  or  so  lower  than  \ve  are  ?  There  is  yet 
no  wind  to  cause  it  so  to  move,  and  a  bird  could 
hardly  give  it  such  a  jerking  motion.  A  deer  nipping 
twigs  from  it  could,  however,  give  it  just  such  a  mo- 
tion. Move  gently  over  to  this  side  of  that  next 
ridge  and  follow  it  out  to  its  point.  From  there  you 
can  almost  see  the  other  side  of  the  bush.  Take  an 
occasional  look  over  the  ridge  as  you  go,  but  be  very 
careful  how  you  do  it. 

Reaching  the  point,  you  discover  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  bush  a  little  spot  of  white  set  in  a  slight 
framework  of  brown,  with  something  like  the  taper 
of  a  brownish-gray  leg  just  below  it.  In  the  cen- 
ter of  the  white  is  a  stubby  little  black  and  white 
tail  that  gives  a  highly  complacent  wiggle.  Very 
much  the  same  kind  of  a  target  as  that  you  shot  at 
on  our  last  hunt. 

Sit  down  and  keep  cool  a  moment.  Then  take  an 
inspection  of  the  ground  and  decide  upon  the  best 
means  to  get  nearer  to  the  deer.  It  suspects  nothing 
as  yet,  and  is  not  going  to  run.  At  this  time  of  day 
— about  sunrise — it  will  probably  stay  there  several 
minutes.  At  all  events,  your  chances  of  getting  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  it  are  greater  than  your  chances 
of  making  a  killing  shot  from  here  ;  for  both  the 
ground  and  wind  are  favorable  for  a  close  approach. 
On  such  ground  as  this  you  must  make  a  mortal  shot 
and  not  break  a  leg  or  lightly  cripple  such  game. 
Once  wounded,  a  few  seconds  will  carry  it  into  that 
dense  dark  chapparal  you  see  beyond  there  so  heavily 
robing  the  mountain's  breast  and  shoulders.  And  once 
there  it  is  forever  lost  to  you  unless  you  have  a  very 


196  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

good  dog;  and  even  if  you  have  a  dog  you  may  still 
lose  the  deer  or  have  a  heavy  task  to  get  it  out. 

Do  you  not  see  a  cattle-trail  winding  up  the  side  of 
the  next  ravine?  It  leads  directly  to  that  little  basin 
in  which  the  deer  is.  Go  down  this  point  out  of 
sight,  take  that  trail,  on  which  you  can  walk  quietly, 
and  follow  it  to  the  edge  of  the  basin. 

You  soon  reach  the  trail,  and  behold!  there  are 
tracks  in  it  of  four  or  five  deer  going  both  ways. 
Lose  no  time,  though,  in  examining  them.  They  are 
all  about  equally  fresh;  there  is  undoubtedly  water  in 
that  deep  gulch  far  below;  the  deer  you  just  saw  is 
undoubtedly  one  of  those  that  made  these  tracks; 
that  is  the  up-hill  direction,  too;  you  know  the  rest. 

You  speedily  conclude  that  they  have  been  going  to 
water,  and  that  the  return  trail  is  the  freshest.  So 
going  swiftly  and  silently  along  the  trail  you  reach 
the  edge  of  the  basin.  Peering  cautiously  over  the 
edge  you  see  nothing.  You  take  a  step  or  two  forward, 
and  suddenly  from  half  a  dozen  different  directions 
comes  a  medley  of  crashing  brush  and  bump,  bump, 
bump,  bump  of  hoofs.  A  few  brown  hides  glimmer  for 
a  moment  above  the  brush  in  glossy  curves  sur- 
mounted byvwhite  rumps,  and  vanish  amid  a  storm 
of  random  shots  from  your  repeater. 

The  same  old  mistake  you  made  so  often  in  the 
woods.  How  often  must  I  warn  you  about  showing 
yourself  too  quickly;  about  thinking  you  can  see 
everything  because  the  brush  is  not  very  heavy; 
against  deciding  too  hastily  that  there  is  nothing  in 
sight.  There  were  five  deer  there;  you  saw  only  one 
of  them  at  first;  yet  all  the  rest  were  there  browsing 
also;  and  yet  you  see  the  brush  is  neither  thick  nor 
high.  Suppose  now  you  had  stood  back  for  a  few 


You  should  keep  your  ears  open  as  well  as  your  eyes.  This 
man  would  not  have  seen  the  deer,  because  going  to  the  right ; 
but  he  heard  the  faint  cracking  of  brush  up  the  hill. 


ANOTHER  KIND   OF  OPEN  GROUND.          197 

moments  with  none  of  your  head  in  sight  lower  than 
your  eyes.  You  could  not  only  have  seen  anything  if 
it  should  try  to  leave  the  basin,  but  would  undoubt- 
edly have  seen  in  a  minute  or  two  more  the  deer  that 
you  saw  first.  It  had  only  turned  a  little  so  as  to 
conceal  the  white  of  its  buttocks  and  cast  a  different 
shade  of  color  from  its  side.  And  you  might  easily 
have  seen  that  big  buck  that  stood  by  a  bush  a  few 
yards  farther  on.  Remember  now  that  deer  are  just 
about  as  hard  to  see  in  such  a  place  as  they  are  in  the 
woods,  and  do  not  throw  away  another  such  oppor- 
tunity fust  by  a  trifle  too  much  haste  to  get  a  better 
view. 

And  now  we  must  seek  another  deer  or  set  of  deer. 
For  it  would  be  quite  useless  to  follow  these  into  that 
chapparal  whither  they  have  gone  so  rapidly  bound- 
ing. Remember  that  even  here,  where  there  is  neither 
house  nor  ranch  in  sight,  though  you  can  see  many  a 
mile  around,  deer  are  not  found  in  every  bush.  In  this 
whole  range  of  hills,  some  three  miles  long,  there  are 
probably  not  over  twenty.  But  that  is  enough  to 
make  fair  sport  if  you  are  careful  and  know  how  to 
manage  them.  Move  along,  but  keep  as  near  this 
elevation  as  you  can.  Stop  at  every  good  point  of 
observation  and  after  making  a  thorough  search  with 
the  naked  eye,  especially  of  the  ground  near  to  you, 
take  your  glass  and  sweep  carefully  the  lower,  higher, 
and  farther  ground. 

Nearly  half  a  mile  beyond  where  we  saw  the  last 
deer  is  a  comfortable  rock  on  a  high  point  command- 
ing an  extensive  view  of  slopes,  ridges,  ravines,  etc. 
Let  us  take  a  seat  and  spend  ten  or  fifteen  minutes. 
Yes;  call  it  laziness  if  you  choose,  we  will  not  dispute 
about  terms;  but  we  will  nevertheless  sit.  Now  search 


198  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

all  the  hill-sides,  slopes,  etc.,  in  sight.  Give  first  a 
general  look  over  the  whole  with  your  naked  eye; 
then  run  over  it  in  detail  with  the  glass.  Look  espe- 
cially in  the  brush  of  sunny  hill-sides;  look  around  all 
scattering  bushes;  look  in  the  bottoms  of  all  ravines, 
etc.;  look  on  the  tops  of  all  ridges.  Look  as  if  you 
were  looking  not  for  deer  but  for  hares,  for  rabbits,  for 
rats,  even  for  mice. 

Five  hundred  yards  away,  and  some  three  hundred 
feet  lower  than  where  you  are,  you  notice  a  small  spot 
of  shiny  gray  in  some  bushes.  Watch  it  closely.  It 
may  be  the  sun  on  a  deer's  coat,  for  some  of  the  deer 
are  already  laying  aside  the  yellowish-brown  coat  of 
summer  and  putting  on  the  gray  of  autumn. 

Ah  ha!  It  moves  a  little.  And  now  ahead  comes  up 
from  behind  a  bush  and  takes  a  long  and  careful  look: 
and  the  sun  glistens  on  some  polished  horns  upon  the 
head  of  a  four-year  old  buck. 

Now  remember,  there  is  positively  no  haste,  for  he 
does  not  suspect  anything.  Show  nothing  below  your 
head;  keep  that  still;  and  wait  long  enough  to  find  out 
what  he  intends  doing. 

He  takes  a  few  steps;  nibbles  a  few  leaves  from  a 
bush;  then  stands  a  minute  or  two  and  wiggles  his 
tail.  He  then  scratches  his  head  with  one  hind  foot; 
takes  another  nibble  from  a  bush;  and  then  stands 
still  a  moment. 

Wait  just  a  moment  more  before  deciding  what  to 
do.  If  he  is  going  to  remain  there,  there  is  no  im- 
mediate haste.  You  may  be  quite  certain  he  will 
not  descend  any  lower  at  this  time  of  day,  for  it  is 
nearly  eight  o'clock.  And  it  is  highly  probable  that 
he  intends  coming  higher  up,  for  there  is  hardly  cover 


ANOTHER  KIND   OF  OPEN  GROUND.          199 

enough  where  he  is  to  make  a  good  lying-place  for  as 
warm  a  day  as  to-day  will  be. 

And  now  he  starts.  Slowly  indeed,  but,  do  you  see? 
upon  a  long  stride,  a  sort  of  a  stalk  of  extreme  digni- 
ty. And  now  he  takes  the  side  of  the  ravine  upon 
something  looking  like  a  trail. 

Now  is  your  time  for  expedition.  Out  of  here  by 
the  back  way  in  a  twinkling.  Fordo  you  not  see  that 
that  ravine  runs  up  to  yonder  little  brushy  plateau? 
He  is  undoubtedly  going  there,  and  will  keep  the  side 
of  the  ravine  he  is  on  or  go  up  and  take  the  ridge. 
You  must  get  to  the  head  of  the  ravine  before  he  does; 
and  keep  out  of  sight  while  doing  it. 

Backing  out  of  your  present  position,  you  slip  along 
the  rear  side  of  the  ridge  you  are  on  and  run  along  it 
to  where  it  joins  the  main  body  of  the  mountain.  And 
there,  thanks  to  the  old  Spanish  cattle,  is  a  good  trail 
winding  directly  toward  the  plateau  toward  which 
the  buck  is  going.  With  head  low  down  and  body 
bent  so  as  to  keep  below  the  brush,  you  reach  the  pla- 
teau with  a  short  run.  Then  slowly  raising  your  head 
you  take  a  look  for  your  game,  and  in  a  moment  you 
see  it  moving  deliberately  up  the  side  of  the  ridge 
some  two  hundred  yards  away. 

No,  no.  Do  not  shoot.  A  deer  walking  at  that  dis- 
tance, especially  on  a  course  both  rising  and  slanting, 
is  entirely  too  hard  a  shot  for  even  an  old  hand  to 
take  unless  compelled  to.  Do  not  even  move  until 
you  see  whether  he  crosses  the  ridge,  takes  the  top  of 
it,  or  keeps  on  the  side  he  still  is  on.  In  any  of  these 
events  your  prospects  of  a  pretty  fair  shot  are  far 
stronger  than  the  probabilities  of  hitting  the  deer 
where  it  now  is. 

And   now   see!    the    deer   is  going  over  the  ridge. 


200  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

But  stop!  Do  not  move  an  inch  until  he  is  out  of 
sight.  There  he  disappears.  Now  be  quick  but  quiet 
and  get  on  the  neck  of  that  ridge  he  went  over  just 
where  it  joins  the  main  body  of  the  hills. 

You  reach  the  neck  of  the  ridge,  and  dropping  be- 
hind a  large  rock  take  off  your  hat  and  peep  cautious- 
ly over  the  rock.  And  soon  you  see  on  your  side  of 
the  ravine  a  long  low  bit  of  yellowish  brown  moving 
through  the  brush  some  seventy  yards  away,  with  the 
tips  of  a  pair  of  horns  occasionally  surging  through 
the  brush  in  front  of  it.  The  brown  is  moving  toward 
you  too,  and  will  pass  you  some  thirty  yards  down 
your  side  of  the  ridge  and  near  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine.  And  you  softly  ejaculate  "  Mine." 

But  beware,  dear  friend,  how  you  too  quickly  say 
"  Mine."  You  know  not  whether  a  deer  is  yours  un- 
til you  stand  astride  of  it  with  your  knife.  And — 
and — be  a — little — cautious  even  then;  for  sometimes 
when  the  point  of  the  knife  has  pricked  the  skin  of  a 
fallen  deer,  hunter,  rifle,  knife,  and  deer  have  radiated 
to  the  four  points  of  the  compass  almost  as  suddenly 
as  if  a  keg  of  powder  had  exploded  in  their  midst. 

And  now  where  is  your  bit  of  brown?  You  took 
your  eyes  from  it  to  look  at  the  place  where  you  in- 
tended to  bag  it,  and  when  your  eyes  would  return  to 
it,  behold!  it  is  gone.  Yet  none  of  that  brush  is  over 
four  feet  high  and  not  at  all  thick. 

Now  do  not  get  excited,  worried,  or  anxious;  for  if 
you  do  you  will  yield  to  hurry  and  flurry,  and  then  it 
will  be  a  running  shot  or  none.  The  buck  is  still 
there;  he  probably  suspects  not  your  presence;  he 
cannot  get  out  of  the  ravine  without  your  seeing  him; 
and  if  you  have  patience  you  may  still  get  a  good 
standing  shot. 


ANOTHER  KIND   OF  OPEN    GROUND.          201 

You  wait  a  few  seconds  and  they  seem  a  few  min- 
utes; a  few  minutes  and  they  seem  long  hours. 
Surely  he  has  slipped  away  unseen,  you  think;  that 
rock  would  give  a  so  much  better  view;  he  may  be 
getting  away;  no  time  is  to  be  lost.  So  Haste  reasons 
with  you;  and  though  Patience  commands  you  in 
thunder-tones  to  keep  still,  you  will  listen  to  Haste. 
You  put  your  foot  upon  the  rock  and  are  just  raising 
yourself  upon  it,  when  a  sudden  crash  of  brush  comes 
from  near  the  place  where  you  last  saw  the  bit  of 
brown.  It  is  followed  at  once  by  the  well-known 
bump,  bump,  bump,  and  from  the  bottom  of  the  ravine 
away  goes  the  buck  bouncing  on  steely  legs  up  the 
opposite  side.  He  looks  now  as  large  as  a  yearling 
calf,  as  with  high  bounding  springs  he  surges  above 
the  brush,  with  the  morning  sun  glinting  on  every 
tine  and  shining  from  nearly  every  hair.  Little  he 
cares  for  the  rapid  fire  of  your  repeater.  He  surges 
away  as  if  it  were  only  play,  leaving  your  bullets  all 
above  him  as  he  goes  curving  downward  from  the 
climax  of  his  lofty  bound. 

He  reaches  the  top  of  the  ridge,  stops,  wheels  half 
around,  and  turns  his  great  mulish  ears  and  dark  blue 
eyes  full  upon  you.  There  again  is  your  artist-deer 
at  last,  standing  full  broadside,  bulging  with  fatness, 
looming  now  as  large  and  lustrous  as  he  was  before 
small  and  dim,  as  graceful  and  majestic  as  he  was  be- 
fore ugly  and  insignificant — and  only  fifty  yards  away! 

Aim  at  the  very  lowest  point  where  the  shoulder 
joins  the  body;  and  take  a  fine  sight  at  that  or  you 
will  still  overshoot  him.  A  tremor  runs  through  all 
your  nerves;  the  front  sight  of  the  rifle  wavers  all 
over  the  target;  with  a  convulsive  jerk  you  pull  the 
trigger.  The  rifle  cracks,  and  as  the  smoke  clears 


202  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

away,  the  top  of  the  ridge  reveals  no  trace  of  your 
buck. 

Did  he  fall  in  his  tracks?  you  naturally  wonder. 

Suppose  he  did.  Will  he  not  stay  there  a  few  min- 
utes? Suppose  he  did  not.  May  you  not  get  another 
shot  before  he  can  cross  or  get  out  of  the  next  ravine? 
Do  you  not  see  that  with  a  quick  run  you  can  reach 
the  neck  of  the  ridge  he  was  on  and  may  see  him  if 
he  runs  up  or  across  the  next  ravine,  as  he  probably 
will  do?  Why  stand  here  an  instant  speculating  upon 
the  probable  result  of  your  shot? 

You  reach  the  neck  of  the  next  ridge  quite  out  of 
breath  and  just  in  time  to  discover — nothing.  But 
be  not  too  hasty  to  utilize  your  discovery.  For  he 
may  be  hiding  in  the  brush.  Walk  on  down  to  where 
he  stood  when  you  fired  and  see  what  has  happened. 
But  be  not  too  hasty  to  get  there,  and  keep  a  good 
watch  in  the  brush  below  while  going. 

And  now  hark!  a  faint  crack  of  brush;  then  a  crash; 
then  another  smash  of  brush,  and  the  old  bit  of  brown 
is  plunging  through  the  brush  below.  But  it  is  a  la- 
boring, stumbling  gait,  without  any  of  the  bump,  bump 
of  hoofs  plied  by  elastic  legs. 

Bang  !  bang  !  bang  !  goes  your  rifle  again,  and  still 
the  brown  goes  on.  Stop.  Save  your  cartridges. 
He  is  wounded,  and  if  you  empty  your  rifle-magazine 
he  may  get  out  of  this  ravine  before  you  can  load 
again.  It  is  evident  that  you  are  now  too  excited  to 
hit  anything;  and  therefore  you  had  better  take  a  few 
moments'  time  to  cool  down.  And  in  the  meanwhile 
fill  up  the  magazine  of  your  rifle,  for  you  may  need  all 
the  shots  it  will  hold. 

Now  make  a  quick  run  and  get  on  that  large  rock 
that  juts  out  some  twenty  yards  below  you.  And 


ANOTHER  KIND   OF  OPEN  GROUND.          203 

don't  you  leave  that  rock  until  you  see  that  deer  again, 
even  if  you  have  to  sit  there  some  time.  If  he  slips  out 
of  the  ravine  unseen — which  he  cannot  do  if  you  keep 
a  good  watch  from  that  rock — you  can  track  him  just 
as  well  in  four  hours  as  you  can  now,  and  you 
would  then  have  much  better  chances  of  finding  him 
dead  or  lying  down  and  so  very  sick  that  he  would 
not  rise  until  you  got  almost  upon  him. 

As  you  jump  upon  the  rock  there  is,  however,  an- 
other crash  of  brush  only  twenty  yards  below;  the 
brown  again  shows  itself  for  a  moment;  and  it  sinks 
at  the  first  crack  of  your  rifle. 

On  going  down  to  your  deer  your  satisfaction  is 
somewhat  marred  by  finding  that  your  first  ball 
struck  the  deer  high  up  in  the  haunch,  some  two  and 
a  half  feet  from  where  you  aimed. 


204  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE  STILL-HUNTER'S  CARDINAL  VIRTUE. 

SPACE  forbids  the  much  further  continuance  of  this 
realistic  style  of  teaching  the  ways  of  the  woods  and 
hills,  as  it  involves  the  repetition  of  too  much  that  is 
already  become  familiar  from  former  chapters.  There 
is  still  another  kind  of  open  ground  that  must  be  con- 
sidered, and  I  shall  use  it  mainly  as  a  text  for  a  ser- 
mon upon  the  greatest  of  all  virtues  in  still-hunting, 
viz.  Patience. 

The  frequent  necessity  of  Patience  you  have  already 
seen.  But  you  have  not  yet  had  an  opportunity  to 
fully  realize  its  indispensable  character  in  very  many 
cases.  There  arise  many  perplexing  questions  in  still- 
hunting  the  only  key  to  the  solution  of  which  is  Pa- 
tience. It  is  true  that  these  arise  mainly  in  open 
ground,  more  especially  open  ground  of  the  kind  we 
are  about  to  consider.  But  there  are  times  in  the 
woods  and  on  all  kinds  of  ground  when  it  is  quite 
as  essential. 

We  are  now  in  a  broad  open  country  with  few  or  no 
hills  beyond  mere  swells.  In  general  appearance  it  is 
very  much  like  heavily  rolling  prairie.  But  instead  of 
the  sloughs  filled  with  long  grass  so  abundant  on 
some  rolling  prairies,  you  see  here  and  there  long 
strips  of  a  deep  dark  green  from  quarter  of  a  mile  to 
several  miles  in  length,  running  generally  through 
the  lower  portions,  but  sometimes  seaming  with  a 


THE   STILL-HUNTER'S  CARDINAL   VIRTUE.    205 

verdant  scar  the  very  topmost  face  of  quite  level 
ground.  These  are  gullies  or  barrancas,  generally  so 
steep-sided  and  deep  that  it  is  often  no  trifle  to  cross 
one  on  foot.  The  greater  part  of  them  have  numer- 
ous arms  or  side  gullies  running  in  on  each  side  every 
hundred  or  two  hundred  yards,  varying  in  length 
from  fifty  yards  upward.  And  some  of  these  termi- 
nate in  pockets  or  basins,  but  are  generally  both  deep 
and  steep-sided.  These  gullies  are  mostly  filled  with 
evergreen  brush  from  six  to  twelve  feet  high.  Some- 
times one  of  these  gullies  rises  to  the  dignity  of  a 
small  cafion  or  valley  with  water  in  it,  perhaps,  and  a 
small  line  of  timber  at  the  lower  end.  An  occasional 
small  tree  appears  at  long  intervals  scattered  over  the 
whole,  but  from  anything  that  can  be  called  woods  or 
timber  we  are  miles  and  miles  away.  The  ridges  and 
slopes  between  these  barrancas  are  more  or  less  cov- 
ered with  grass,  weeds,  some  variety  of  sage  or 
chemisal  or  low  light  brush,  the  body  of  which  is 
little  over  knee-high,  though,  as  in  prairie,  the  flower- 
stalks  may  rise  much  higher.  Occasional  green  bushes 
are  scattered  over  the  whole.  This  kind  of  ground 
in  types  more  or  less  varied  is  found  in  Southern 
California,  Lower  California,  and  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can States  and  Territories  generally.  Often  the  gul- 
lies are  so  sloping  at  the  sides  that  they  are  more 
properly  swales  than  gullies,  and  sometimes  they  all 
contain  a  few  trees  or  occasional  groves  of  trees. 
Though  it  generally  goes  under  the  general  term  of 
mesa,  or  table-land,  it  is  often  the  nearest  approach  to 
prairie  to  be  found  West  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the 
gullies  having  been  so  deeply  cut  by  cloud-bursts  and 
heavy  rains. 

Though  few  would  suspect  it  at  first  glance,  such 


206  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

ground  is  almost  certain  to  contain  game:  antelope 
if  not  too  brushy  and  if  wide  enough  in  extent;  deer 
if  the  gullies  are  plenty  enough  and  brushy  enough. 
Such  ground  is  often  easily  traversed  with  a  wagon, 
and  can  always  be  hunted  on  horseback,  there  being 
always  some  places  where  a  horse  can  cross  the  gul- 
lies. There  is  little  ground  more  pleasant  or  easy  to 
hunt  on  foot  for  one  who  can  endure  a  long  walk,  and 
still  less  ground  upon  which  success  may  be  so  easily 
had  from  so  small  an  average  of  deer  to  the  square 
mile.  The  general  principles  requisite  for  success  on 
such  ground  are  about  the  same  as  those  to  be  ap- 
plied in  hunting  prairie  of  any  kind;  about  the  only 
difference  being  in  the  jumping  of  deer  from  the  gul- 
lies. 

The  high  ground  is  here  the  best  to  keep  on  during 
the  times  when  the  deer  are  on  foot.  We  will  there- 
fore take  this  long  ridge  that  commands  a  view  of 
two  gullies  with  their  adjacent  slopes  of  several  hun- 
dred yards  each.  But  while  inspecting  these  slopes 
do  not  neglect  the  top  of  the  ridge  ahead  of  you,  and 
pay  strict  attention  to  the  edges  of  every  gully  and 
every  clump  of  brush.  For  while  the  deer  generally  lie 
in  the  gullies  by  day  and  get  a  large  part  of  their  food 
from  the  bushes  they  contain,  yet  in  the  morning  and 
at  evening  they  are  more  apt  to  be  a  few  yards  from 
the  edge,  or  up  the  slopes  around  some  bush,  or  on 
the  tops  of  the  long  ridges.  And  sometimes  in  hot 
weather,  and  generally  in  cold  weather,  they  will  lie 
during  the  day  in  the  occasional  bushes  found  over 
the  slopes  or  on  the  ridges.  And  in  very  cold  weather 
they  will  generally  lie  out  in  the  low  open  brush  in 
the  sun. 

This  morning  we  will  take  this  particular  ridge  be- 


;  r~ 


O 

o 

t>JD     C 

' 


o 
-o 


•"        3        rt 
—      _C      


O      <-• 
t-i        CJ 


THE   STILL-HUNTER'S  CARDINAL   VIRTUE.    207 

cause  it  leads  on  a  course  of  good  walking  and  hunt- 
ing for  two  miles  or  so,  with  the  rising  sun  on  our 
backs  instead  of  in  our  faces  as  we  should  be  obliged 
to  have  it  if  we  took  advantage  of  the  wind.  But 
the  prospects  of  a  deer's  being  ahead  of  us  on  the 
ridge  at  all,  or,  if  so,  of  being  near  enough  to  smell  us 
before  we  could  see  him  on  ground  so  open  and  with 
the  sun  shining  on  him,  are  so  slight  that  we  will  let 
the  wind  go  and  take  the  advantage  of  the  sun  instead. 

The  extreme  care  necessary  to  get  first  sight  of 
a  deer  in  general  is  here  even  more  important,  if 
possible,  than  elsewhere.  For  upon  such  ground 
the  deer  has  every  advantage  of  a  wide  sweep  of 
vision  that  you  have.  Moreover,  even  in  this  low 
open  brush  that  does  not  reach  your  waist,  and 
through  which  the  walking  is  so  easy,  deer  standing 
still  will  be  almost  impossible  for  you  to  see  at  any 
considerable  distance,  especially  when  in  the  gray 
coat — as  we  will  suppose  them  now  to  be — unless  you 
can  get  well  above  them  or  have  a  sky-background, 
as  when  a  deer  is  standing  on  a  ridge,  or  unless  the 
sun  makes  his  back  shine.  And  when  you  recollect 
that  deer  are  rarely  so  numerous  upon  such  ground 
as  in  timber,  you  will  see  that  the  importance  of 
seeing  one  before  he  sees  you  is  here  far  greater; 
especially  as  on  this  kind  of  ground  you  can  rarely 
get  a  shot  by  a  sudden  dash  to  some  point  or  ridge, 
the  distances  to  be  run  being  entirely  too  long. 

On  such  ground  you  can  scarcely  look  too  far; 
though  the  ground  for  fifty  yards  around  you  must 
not  be  neglected.  You  can  scarcely  have  too  strong 
a  glass  or  use  it  too  thoroughly;  though  you  should 
not  use  it  until  you  have  first  given  a  careful  and  ex- 
tensive sweep  with  the  naked  eye. 


208  THE   STILL-HUNTER.  ' 

There  is  scarcely  a  shade  of  color  from  light  brown 
to  almost  black,  not  a  bit  of  sheen  or  a  glistening 
point  of  any  kind  on  such  ground  that  may  not  be 
part  of  a  deer.  White  spots  must  also  be  examined, 
as  the  buttocks  and  legs  inside  have  some  white. 
And  if  there  are  antelope  on  the  range,  everything 
from  pure  white  to  brown  and  dark  gray  must  be  in- 
spected; as  the  head  of  an  antelope  lying  down  will 
often  be  a  dark  spot  on  the  landscape. 

We  will  suppose  that  you  see  a  deer  at  last.  It  is 
nearly  a  third  of  a  mile  away,  but  you  discover  it  with 
your  glass  browsing  from  a  little  bush  near  the  top  of 
another  ridge.  You  decide  at  once  that  it  is  a  hope- 
lessly long  shot,  and  that  your  only  hope  of  a  close 
shot  is  a  detour  of  half  a  mile  or  so  to  the  other  side 
of  the  crest  of  the  ridge  above  the  deer. 

This  detour  you  quickly  make;  but  on  peeping 
carefully  over  you  see  no  deer.  But  you  do  see  about 
two  dozen  small  bushes,  and  each  one  of  them  maybe 
the  bush  by  which  you  saw  the  deer,  and  it  may  be 
behind  any  one  of  them.  Here  arises  your  first 
trouble  from  want  of  patience.  You  were  so  anxious 
to  get  a  shot  that  you  did  not  have  patience  to  mark 
the  exact  bush  at  which  you  saw  the  deer.  You  did 
not  even  notice  that  there  were  any  other  bushes 
there.  You  merely  saw  a  hill-side  and  a  deer  and 
started  off. 

You  look  at  every  bush;  they  all  look  small  and 
low;  you  see  no  deer  at  any  of  them;  and  you  con- 
clude that  the  deer  moved  off  while  you  were  coming 
around.  You  take  a  few  steps  and  come  up  on  the 
ridge  for  a  better  view.  And  you  get  it  at  once.  But 
it  is  a  rapidly  dissolving  view  of  a  low-scudding  spike- 
buck,  so  low  that  he  does  not  even  appear  above  the 


THE   STILL-HUNTER'S  CARDINAL   VIRTUE.    209 

low  stalks  of  the  white  sage.  In  a  moment  he  dis- 
appears without  regarding  the  noise  of  your  rifle. 

The  buck  started  from  behind  the  very  bush  at 
which  you  first  saw  him.  Five  or  ten  minutes'  pa- 
tient waiting  would  have  given  him  time  to  move 
around  the  bush,  to  shake  its  top  leaves  by  browsing 
or  to  move  to  another  bush.  And  if  you  had  had  pa- 
tience to  back  out  and  go  along  the  ridge  some  three 
hundred  yards  either  way,  you  might  have  located 
him  precisely,  and  might  then  have  returned  and 
waited  behind  the  ridge  for  him  to  move  out  in  sight. 

In  this  way  a  large  number  of  shots  are  lost  even 
by  hunters  who  kill  a  great  deal  of  game.  Too  hasty 
marking  of  a  deer's  location,  too  hasty  assumption 
that  the  deer  has  moved  away  because  it  cannot  at 
once  be  seen  when  the  detour  is  completed,  are  two 
of  the  most  irretrievable  mistakes  that  any  one  but  an 
excellent  shot  at  running  game  can  make  in  hunting 
open  ground.  And  even  in  the  woods  it  is  often 
made,  though  of  course  not  so  often  as  in  open 
ground,  as  deer  are  never  seen  so  far  away  in  the 
woods  as  they  generally  are  in  the  open. 

Well,  there  is  another  one,  and  you  raise  yotfr  rifle  at 
once. 

Beware!  beware!  It  is  indeed  only  two  hundred 
yards  away.  But  that  is  a  long,  long  shot  for  even 
the  best  of  shots  to  make  at  a  deer  standing  breast 
toward  you  with  more  than  half  his  body  hidden  in 
that  gray  sage.  You  will  find  that  mark  extremely 
dim  when  seen  through  the  sights  of  a  rifle.  Let  me 
tell  you  right  here  to  beware  always  how  you  shoot 
with  the  rifle  at  a  mark  when  bedimmed  or  nearly  ob- 
scured by  brush.  Never  do  it  far  off  if  you  have  any 
fair  prospects  of  getting  closer.  Never  do  it  even 


210  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

tolerably  close  by  unless  necessary.  If  you  doubt  me, 
try  a  few  shots  at  the  heads  of  rabbits  at  only  fifteen 
paces  when  they  are  in  grass  or  brush  where  you  can 
see  only  the  tips  of  the  ears  and  fancy  you  see  the 
dim  outline  of  the  head  below  them. 

Consider,  too,  that  this  deer  is  headed  this  way; 
that  it  shows  no  sign  of  alarm;  that  there  is  no  gully 
between  in  which  it  may  go  and  get  out  of  sight;  that 
it  is  headed  up  hill  too;  and  that  there  is  probably 
water  in  that  deep  ravine  beyond  where  the  trees  are 
so  green.  Reading  these  facts  in  the  light  of  your 
already  acquired  knowledge,  do  you  not  see  a  strong 
probability  that  that  deer  is  lounging  away  from 
water  to  high  ground  and  will  come  your  way  ?  But 
suppose  he  does  not  come  your  way.  Suppose  he 
moves  away.  Can  you  not  see  where  he  goes,  follow 
him  up,  and  see  him  again  and  get  as  good  a  shot  as 
you  now  have?  For,  remember,  he  is  not  alarmed;  and 
whether  he  goes  into  a  gully,  into  a  bush,  or  over  a 
ridge,  he  will  go  slowly  and  not  be  looking  much  be- 
hind; for  these  deer  know  nothing  of  watching  back 
until  after  being  started. 

The  deer  stands  and  stands  and  stands.  And  you 
stand  a  few  minutes  and  get  impatient.  The  deer's 
persistence  in  standing,  instead  of  teaching  you  that 
there  is  little  danger  of  his  going  far  in  any  direction 
now, — it  being  nearly  time  for  deer  to  lie  down, — only 
destroys  the  little  patience  you  have.  You  fire,  and 
when  the  smoke  clears  there  is  nothing  in  sight. 

Let  us  suppose  it  is  now  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon. At  a  distance  you  see  an  enormous  buck  rise 
up  beside  a  bush,  stand  a  few  minutes,  nibble  a  few 
leaves  and  lie  down  again  on  the  shady  side  of  the 
bush,  only  changing  his  bed  to  get  out  of  the  sun  as 


THE   STILL-HUNTER'S  CARDINAL    VIRTUE.    211 

it  moves  around  the  bush.  You  make  a  detour  and 
get  behind  a  little  rise  of  ground  some  eighty  or 
a  hundred  yards  away.  Looking  cautiously  over  you 
see  just  the  tip  of  a  horn  shining  through  the  weeds. 
You  draw  up  your  rifle-sight  about  eighteen  inches 
below  the  horn  and  fire. 

A  combination  of  pirouette,  hornpipe,  and  double 
shuffle  takes  place  for  an  instant  by  the  bush,  and 
then  just  as  you  think  the  deer  is  about  to  fall  he 
straightens  himself  out  and  scuds  away  in  line  with 
the  bush.  Your  ball  glanced  the  base  of  his  horn 
and  stunned  him — a  much  better  shot  than  there  was 
any  prospect  of  your  making.  And  if  you  had  crept 
up  behind  the  bush  he  would  probably  have  run 
straight  away  from  it  and  have  left  it  directly  in  your 
line  of  vision. 

And  now  let  us  see  what  patience  could  have  ac- 
complished. The  wind  was  blowing  from  him  to  you 
and  he  could  not  smell  you.  He  had  not  seen  or 
heard  you,  and  you  could  have  remained  both  quiet 
and  unseen  behind  that  little  rise  until  he  rose  again. 
As  it  is  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  and  the  day  is 
not  very  hot,  he  would  probably  have  risen  in  less 
than  an  hour.  And  he  would  then  have  been  in  no 
hurry  to  go,  and  would  have  been  as  likely  to  come 
your  way  as  to  go  any  other.  And  suppose  you  had 
waited  until  sundown.  Would  not  the  game  be  worth 
so  cheap  a  candle  ? 

But  we  must  hasten  along  and  suppose  our  cases 
fast.  You  have  been  tracking  some  deer  and  track 
them  to  a  huddle  of  gullies,  basins,  etc.,  all  filled  with 
brush.  You  fail  to  see  one  or  jump  any  of  them  out 
of  it.  You  make  a  circle  around  and  find  no  tracks 
leading  out.  Failing  to  start  anything  from  the  edge 


212  THE   STILL-HUNTED. 

you  go  in  and  thrash  around  inside  for  a  few  minutes. 
When  tired  and  perspiring  you  come  out,  and  about 
the  first  thing  you  find  is  a  series  of  long  jumps  on 
ground  you  passed  directly  over  when  you  made  your 
circuit.  They  were  skulking  and  slipped  out  of  one 
side  while  you  were  tearing  around  in  brush  so  high 
and  thick  that  you  could  not  have  hit  one  if  you  had 
seen  a  dozen  deer  running. 

Now  only  a  hundred  yards  away  is  a  knoll  that  com- 
mands a  view  of  the  whole  of  this  place.  And  after  you 
felt  quite  certain  they  were  there,  and  when  you  know 
the  trick  of  skulking  as  well  as  you  do,  why  in  the 
world  could  you  not  go  there  and  sit  them  out?  Want 
of  patience.  That  is  all. 

This  sitting  out  a  deer  and  other  forms  of  patience 
will  suggest  themselves  in  many  other  cases,  such  as 
where  a  fresh  trail  of  several  deer  divides  up  and  the 
individual  trails  begin  to  wander  and  straggle  on 
ground  suitable  for  lying  down  and  there  is  a  good 
point  to  sit  on;  especially  when  it  is  near  evening  and 
the  ground  is  bad  for  getting  a  shot  at  a  deer  when 
started. 

On  such  open  ground  as  this  it  is  often  necessary 
to  traverse  a  great  deal  of  ground;  and  as  deer  in  such 
open  places  will  not  remain  on  foot  so  long  when  the 
sun  is  hot  as  they  will  in  the  woods,  it  may,  in  warm 
weather  especially,  be  necessary  to  move  fast.  As 
noise  is  here  of  less  consequence  than  elsewhere  one 
may  walk  quite  fast.  But  the  keenness  of  sight  must 
be  doubled  in  consequence.  In  cold  weather  deer  will 
remain  on  foot  a  longtime  on  such  ground;  longer  in 
the  morning  than  in  the  afternoon,  and  will  be  found 
mainly  along  the  sunny  slopes  and  hollows. 

To  jump  deer  upon  such  ground  is  often  easy.     It 


Here  is  a  nice  close  shot.  Yet  if  you  don't  hold  ahead  and 
lo\v  down,  you  will  miss.  Now  is  the  proper  time  to  pull  the 
trigger,  just  as  the  deer  starts  on  the  downward  curve. 


THE   STILL-HUNTER'S  CARDINAL   VIRTUE.    213 

is  of  little  use  to  hunt  the  ridges  or  the  scattered 
bushes  during  the  time  deer  are  lying  down,  as  the 
acreage  of  such  stuff  is  uncomfortably  disproportion- 
ate to  the  number  of  deer.  The  only  way  to  do  is  to 
hunt  along  the  edges  of  the  gullies  and  around  the 
heads  of  little  side  gullies  and  pockets,  etc.,  and  de- 
pend upon  jumping  those  that  lie  down  in  such  stuff. 
If  it  be  very  thick  they  may  skulk  or  slip  away  down 
the  bottom  of  the  gully,  leaving  you  amused  only  with 
the  gay  gallopade  of  their  retiring  hoofs.  But,  as  a  rule, 
they  will  spring  out  on  one  side  and  roll  away  over 
the  open  slope  to  the  next  ridge,  or  run  down  the  op- 
posite outside  edge  of  the  gully,  thus  presenting  a 
fine  chance  for  a  running  shot. 

Whether  deer  are  plenty  enough  on  such  ground  to 
hunt  may  be  soon  determined  by  inspection  of  the 
ground  along  the  edges  and  around  the  heads  of 
gullies,  also  the  ground  lying  between  the  heads  of 
opposite  running  gullies  and  the  ridges,  points,  and 
gullies  leading  to  springs,  if  water  be  scarce.  Tracks 
and  droppings  will  be  found  on  all  such  ground  if 
deer  are  plenty  enough  to  bother  with. 

Patience  is  no  less  essential  in  antelope-stalking 
than  in  deer-stalking.  A  little  impatience  to  know 
whether  antelope  are  coming  to  the  red  flag  will  often 
spoil  a  shot.  So  when  they  are  feeding  along  on  a 
certain  course  and  you  get  around  and  get  ahead  of 
them  it  will  be  nearly  impossible  to  resist  raising  your 
head  too  often  to  see  how  near  they  are.  And  when 
they  come  slowly  it  will  be  very  hard  to  wait  instead  of 
trying  to  get  closer. 


THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HUNTING    IN    THE    OPEN  AND    IN    TIMBER    COMBINED. 

THERE  is  still  another  kind  of  ground,  quite  com- 
mon in  those  countries  where  the  greater  number  of 
deer  are  now  to  be  found.  It  is  a  combination  of 
open  ground  and  timber,  and  when  deer  and  acorns 
are  plenty  often  affords  shooting  so  easy  and  abun- 
dant that  any  tyro  who  has  strength  enough  to  stroll  a 
mile  or  two  on  gently  rolling  ground  and  can  hit  any- 
thing at  all  can  often  have  success  enough  to  make 
him  think  he  is  a  wonderful  hunter.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  when  deer  are  scarce  and  wild  on  such  ground, 
it  is  in  some  respects  more  difficult  to  hunt  than  any 
we  have  yet  seen  except  the  heavy  timber.  We  will, 
however,  consider  deer  tolerably  wild  and  not  so 
abundant  as  to  make  care  needless. 

It  is  autumn  now,  and  the  acorns  are  pattering  to  the 
ground.  Between  rugged  mountains  robed  in  chap- 
paral  of  dark,  velvet  green  runs  a  long  low  valley 
which  breaks  on  every  side  in  smaller  valleys  and 
gulches  into  the  adjacent  mountains,  and  forms  along 
the  sides  benches,  basins,  and  pockets  of  various  sizes. 
These  are  partly  open  and  partly  filled  with  a  low 
chapparal  of  brush  live-oaks,  to  the  acorns  of  which 
the  deer  are  very  partial.  The  bottom  and  lower  sides  of 
the  valley  are  well  covered  with  vast  live-oaks  that  have 
stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  through  centuries  of  time. 
With  their  ever-living'  leaves  of  dark  shining  green 


HUNTING  IN    THE    OPEN  AND  IN    TIMBER.     215 

and  broad  rugged  limbs  festooned  with  hoary  moss, 
they  form  an  almost  continuous  shade.  Along  the  side 
valleys,  knolls,  and  benches  stand  in  silent  majesty 
vast  old  evergreen  white-oaks,  the  acorns  of  which  the 
deer  prefer  even  to  those  of  the  common  live-oak. 

Is  this  a  hunt  or  only  an  evening  stroll  through  a 
grand  old  English  park  ?  Before  us  the  ground 
stretches  away  like  a  gently  undulating  carpet ;  here 
are  soft  foot-paths  running  here  and  there ;  on  all 
hands  are  the  massive  old  trees  ;  here  is  the  cool,  de- 
lightful shade,  and  the  softest  of  breezes  playing 
through.  And  there,  too,  are  the  deer,  the  only  thing 
needed  to  make  the  park  complete  ;  three  standing 
under  yonder  tree,  and  two  lying  down  like  cattle  be- 
neath it. 

Those  deer  are  gone,  so  we  will  saunter  along  farther. 
Take  a  look  into  these  little  side  pockets  as  you  go 
along,  and  even  up  on  those  benches.  Take  good  long 
looks  down  the  vistas  that  open  through  the  timber 
in  various  directions,  and  stoop  down  occasionally  for 
a  longer  view.  We  may  not  see  anything  ahead  for 
some  time,  for  those  deer  have  probably  stampeded 
everything  on  their  route.  But  perhaps  they  soon 
turned  off  into  the  hills.  Go  slowly  now,  and  keep  a 
sharp  watch  on  each  side,  for  there  are  plenty  of  deer 
here  somewhere,  as  you  can  see  by  the  numerous 
tracks,  and — 

Bump-crash-bump-bump-crash  comes  suddenly  from 
the  head  of  a  little  side  ravine  ;  and  just  as  the  rifle 
comes  to  your  shoulder  the  heavy  green  chapparal 
closes  over  a  fat,  glossy  rump. 

You  see  it  is  just  as  necessary  to  be  careful  about 
showing  your  head  around  a  corner  as  about  showing 
it  over  a  ridge.  There  is  absolutely  no  way  in  which 


216  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

you  can  bring  head  and  shoulders  in  sight  of  a  deer 
with  safety  except  by  being  so  extremely  slow  that  no 
motion  is  apparent.  Of  course  a  deer  will  not  always 
run  or  even  always  see  you  if  you  bring  yourself  too 
quickly  in  his  eye-range.  But  the  greater  number  of 
deer  will  both  see  you  and  run.  And  even  where  they 
are  exceedingly  tame  you  will  be  constantly  losing 
shot  by  it.  That  last  deer  was  tame  enough.  He 
stood  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  chapparal  in  plain  view 
until  you  walked  out  several  feet  in  his  field  of  vision. 

But  let  us  stroll  along.  It  is  all  easy  walking  enough, 
but  if  you  keep  this  trail  of  the  wild  cattle  it  will  be 
still  more  easy  and  quiet. 

A  stroll  of  half  a  mile  or  so  along  the  smooth,  easy 
path  brings  us  to  a  sudden  halt.  Something  far  ahead 
under  a  tree  looks  like  an  inverted  V,  long,  tapering, 
and  dark.  Watch  it  carefully  for  a  minute  or  two. 
It  suddenly  begins  to  grow  gradually  wider  at  the 
bottom  and  splits  at  the  top  until  in  a  moment  there 
are  two  V's  both  inverted  and  about  two  feet  above 
the  ground.  Most  marvelous  resemblance  to  a  pair 
of  ears. 

No.  Don't  raise  your  head  another  inch.  What 
but  an  animal  turning  its  head  a  little  could  have 
made  that  motion  ?  The  shape  alone  without  any 
motion  should  satisfy  you. 

And  now  how  to  get  a  nearer  interview  with  the 
owner  of  those  ears  ?  It  will  not  be  safe  to  approach 
over  such  level  ground  as  that  which  lies  between  you. 
Nor  are  the  trees  plenty  enough  to  stalk  behind.  And 
if  they  were,  it  would  be  an  unsafe  way  to  approach  a 
deer  having  his  head  up.  But  there  is  a  point  project- 
ing into  the  valley  about  eighty  yards  from  them. 
Back  out  of  where  you  are,  slip  into  this  little  gulch 


HUNTING  IN   THE   OPEN  AND  IN    TIMBER.     21? 

to  the  left,  cross  the  neck  of  the  ridge  at  the  head  of 
it,  and  cross  the  next  little  gulch.  That  will  put  you 
on  this  side  of  the  ridge  that  terminates  in  the  point 
you  wish  to  reach. 

By  the  aid  of  the  cattle-trails  you  reach  at  last  the 
point  quietly  and  with  ease.  Peering  cautiously  over 
it  you  see  three  slim  sleek  bodies,  gray  and  glossy, 
lying  side  by  side  in  domestic  peace.  There  are  two 
fawns  lying  with  their  heads  over  on  their  sides.  The 
mother  lies  beside  them  with  head  upraised,  chewing 
her  cud  and  watching. 

It  is  a  pity  to  mar  such  peaceful  happiness.  But  you 
may  not  feel  so  bad  about  it  afterward;  so  try  it. 

Bang  !  goes  your  rifle;  and  like  steel  springs  released 
from  pressure  the  three  deer  bound  in  three  differ- 
ent directions.  There  is  no  rising  or  getting  up. 
There  is  only  one  simultaneous  bump  of  hoofs  and  all 
three  stand  twenty  feet  apart,  all  like  statues  and  all 
looking  in  different  directions. 

Bang  !  goes  another  shot.  Bump  go  twelve  hoofs 
again,  almost  at  once.  And  there  they  all  stand  again, 
a  little  farther  apart  than  before,  and  all  looking. 

Bang  !  goes  another  shot,  and  the  ball  with  a  chug 
splinters  the  bark  from  a  live-oak  just  above  the  doe's 
back.  The  three  deer  give  a  start,  trot  a  few  steps, 
then  huddle  up  all  together,  and  look  again. 

At  the  bang  !  of  another  shot  the  three  dart  from  the 
common  center  a  single  bound,  stop  and  look  a  minute, 
then  run  a  few  yards  in  an  inquiring  way  here  and 
there,  then  huddle  up  again.  And  so  they  go  on,  get- 
ing  farther  and  farther  away,  until  the  magazine  of 
your  rifle  is  empty.  And  by  the  time  you  can  put  in 
another  cartridge  they  are  vanishing  softly  in  different 
directions,  each  on  a  soft  springy  trot. 


218  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

A  few  minutes'  walk,  and  your  eye  catches  the  bil- 
lowy roll  of  a  heavy  body  vanishing  among  the  dis- 
tant trees.  The  same  old  story,  you  see.  You  will 
forget  that  a  deer  in  timber — even  when  that  timber 
is  open  like  a  park  without  a  particle  of  underbrush — 
is  still  very  hard  to  see.  You  were  not  looking  sharp 
enough  or  far  enough  ahead.  Keep  a  keen  eye  on 
the  edge  of  the  chapparal;  for  deer,  though  feeding 
on  acorns,  still  love  to  browse,  and  there  are  bush- 
acorns  there,  too. 

Sh!  stop!  Don't  you  see  those  two  glistening 
points  in  the  brush  there  on  the  left,  some  hundred 
yards  ahead?  Never  let  such  things  escape  your  eye. 
Look  sharp  there  where  the  lower  edge  of  the  sun- 
light breaking  through  that  gorge  on  the  east  strikes 
the  chapparal.  Do  you  see  two  shining  points  about 
three  inches  long  and  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches  apart, 
just  above  the  brush?  Now  watch  them  closely. 

See!  they  move  and  two  or  three  more  points  just 
below  them  appear  in  sight  for  an  instant,  and  then 
do  down.  It's  a  big  buck  browsing. 

Keep  down  that  rifle!  Do  you  want  to  throw  away 
your  only  chance?  You  must  make  a  dead  shot  on 
him;  for  a  few  yards  in  that  chapparal  will  put  him 
beyond  your  reach. 

Your  only  chance  now  is  to  possess  your  soul  in 
perfect  patience  for  five  minutes,  ten  minutes,  even 
twenty  or  thirty  minutes  perhaps,  until  he  comes  out 
or  shows  some  spot  to  shoot  at.  There  is  every  proba- 
bility that  he  will  do  so  as  he  is  right  in  the  edge  of 
the  brush;  it  is  yet  early  and  cool,  and  as  there  is  no 
hunting  or  other  disturbance  here,  it  is  much  more 
likely  that  he  will  come  down  here  to  spend  the  day 
in  breezy  shade  than  remain  in  that  brush.  You  can 


HUNTING  IN    THE    OPEN  AND   IN    TIMBER.     219 

go  to  that  little  rise  or  bench  there  about  fifty  yards 
closer  to  him;  but  stay  there  and  wait. 

You  reach  the  bench,  and  the  glistening  points  are 
still  there,  surging  up  and  down,  and  shining  more 
brightly  than  ever. 

You  found  out  yesterday  that  you  were  not  yet 
over  the  buck  ague,  and  you  are  now  getting  another 
lesson  in  it.  You  begin  to  get  terribly  restless,  and 
fancy  you  know  just  where  his  body  is.  I  might  as 
well  tell  a  drowning  man  to  have  patience  until  I  can 
build  a  boat  to  rescue  him.  Your  desire  to  shoot  is 
worse  than  the  murderer's  secret,  and  kicks  and  ham- 
mers against  your  perspiring  ribs,  until  you  can  no 
longer  resist  the  temptation. 

The  rifle  cracks,  and  all  is  still.  The  glistening 
points  are  gone,  but  there  was  no  crash  of  brush  or 
bump  of  bounding  hoofs.  Killed,  of  course,  you  think, 
as  you  hasten  to  the  spot.  After  a  long  search  you 
find  a  few  fresh  tracks,  and  see  where  he  has  bitten 
the  leaves  from  the  brush.  A  close  inspection  shows 
tracks  leading  away  through  the  brush,  but  there  is 
no  blood,  no  hair,  no  plunging  jumps.  Of  course  you 
wonder  if  you  hit  him.  But  you  will  never  know. 
Possibly  you  did;  but  probably  you  did  not.  Never 
take  such  a  shot  as  that  but  wait  patiently  for  a  bet- 
ter one.  The  chances  of  a  better  one  are  greater  than 
of  hitting  by  guesswork.  He  just  dropped  his  head 
and  skulked  quietly  off. 

Sadly  pondering  the  lesson  you  have  just  learned, 
you  lounge  along  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so,  when 
suddenly  you  see  a  low  dark  object  some  distance 
ahead.  Something  peculiar  about  its  shape  and  color 
arrests  your  attention;  directly  a  head  with  branching 
antlers  rises  from  the  ground  in  front  of  it;  and  in  a 


220 *  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

twinkling  the  thing  is  changed  into  a  majestic  old 
buck, — the  genuine  powder-flask  buck.  Proudly  erect 
he  stands  for  a  second,  a  picture  of  massive  grace 
and  strength,  and  takes  a  look  around;  and  then  down 
goes  the  head  again  to  the  ground;  the  beauty  is 
all  gone  and  he  looks  as  angular  and  ugly  as  an  old 
cow.  But  for  an  instant  only.  Again  comes  up  the 
head,  the  neck  is  proudly  erect  as  before,  and  all  the 
outlines  are  again  those  of  grace.  He  is  feeding  on 
acorns;  and  now  you  can  try  a  task  always  difficult 
and  often  impossible — to  approach  a  deer  directly 
within  his  sight.  The  ground  is  too  level  to  allow 
you  to  get  behind  knolls,  and  he  is  too  far  from  the 
hills  on  either  side  for  a  good  shot,  so  your  best 
chance  is  to  crawl  directly  toward  him.  Half-cock 
your  rifle  and  push  it  ahead  of  you,  leave  your  hat 
here,  and  work  ahead  with  your  elbows  and  toes. 
The  instant  you  see  him  raise  his  head,  stop  and  lie 
perfectly  still  until  he  puts  it  down  again  for  another 
acorn.  Don't  be  impatient,  and  never  mind  if  he 
does  seem  to  be  working  away  from  you.  Should  he 
go  behind  a  tree,  with  head  away  from  you,  you  may 
get  on  your  hands  and  knees  and  crawl  faster;  but 
the  instant  he  raises  his  head  stop  at  once  and  remain 
fixed  in  whatever  position  you  happen  to  be.  Don't 
move  at  all  as  long  as  he  can  see  you.  And  don't  try 
to  rise  up  to  shoot. 

Fifteen  minutes'  work  brings  you  within  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  of  him,  when  all  at  once  he 
throws  his  head  suddenly  up  and  looks  directly  at 
you.  Be  not  at  all  alarmed;  for  a  deer  often  looks  as 
if  he  saw  something  when  he  really  suspects  nothing. 

But  now  he  looks  longer  than  usual,  while  you  are  in 
a  very  uncomfortable  position,  with  a  very  active  fire 


" 


"So 


HUNTING  IN   THE   OPEN  AND  IN    TIMBER.     2'21 

of  impatience  fast  blazing  up  in  your  vitals.  The 
only  remedy  is  patience.  He  surely  cannot  smell  you 
on  account  of  the  wind,  and  he  cannot  possibly  make 
out  what  you  are  if  you  only  keep  still. 

Suddenly  he  turns  half  around  and  scratches  his 
neck  with  his  hoof.  Now  throw  your  rifle  into  posi- 
tion for  a  shot;  for  he  acts  as  though  he  were  done 
feeding,  and  if  he  starts  on  a  walk  he  may  go  some 
distance  before  he  stops.  Again  he  straightens  up 
and  looks  around,  and  through  an  opening  the  morn- 
ing sun  shines  on  his  beamy  coat  and  polished  horns. 
And  now  I  guess  you  had  better  try  him,  though  it  is 
a  long  shot  for  unsteady  nerves. 

The  rifle  cracks,  and  the  buck  gives  a  convulsive 
start,  and  as  a  distinct  spat  of  the  ball  comes  back  on 
the  air  he  breaks  for  the  chapparal,  no  longer  on  the 
beautiful  ricochet  gait  we  have  seen  before,  but  on  a 
regular  race-horse  gallop.  The  hissing  lead  flies  be- 
hind him  fast  as  yoja  can  send  it  from  your  repeater, 
and  you  begin  to  reflect  on  the  fleeting  nature  of 
earthly  pleasures,  when  his  gait  begins  to  change  to 
the  lumbering  gallop  of  a  cow,  and  in  a  second  he 
wavers,  staggers,  and  then  goes  plunging  down  head 
first  to  the  ground,  shot  through  the  heart. 

Such  is  the  hunting  in  the  oak  canons  of  Southern 
California,  and  probably  on  all  similar  ground  in  any 
part  of  the  Union.  If  not  disturbed,  the  deer  prefer 
these  valleys  and  shady  groves  with  the  side  cafions 
and  gulches  to  the  hills  on  either  side.  But  if  hunted 
or  disturbed  much  they  soon  go  back  into  the  chap- 
paral by  day,  where  it  is  quite  useless  to  follow  them. 
And  sometimes,  as  in  spring  and  early  summer,  the 
majority  will  keep  pretty  close  in  the  chapparal  all 
the  time,  and  make  few  tracks  outside. 


222  THE   STILL-HUNTER, 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SUBORDINATE    PRINCIPLES. 

I  HAVE  now  gone  over  all  the  varieties  of  ground 
upon  which  still-hunting  proper  can  be  followed  to 
advantage.  There  are  of  course  many  other  kinds 
of  ground  which  abound  in  deer.  But  every  piece 
worth  still-hunting  at  all  will  be  included  under  the 
heads  so  far  considered. 

So,  also,  I  have  brought  into  view  all  the  general 
principles  that  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all  still-hunting 
or  stalking  of  any  kind  of  large  game.  And  all  the 
modifications  of  those  principles  that  are  likely  to 
often  arise  have  been  seen.  But  there  still  remain 
some  subordinate  or  special  principles  to  be  examined, 
and  some  that  we  have  already  had  a  glimpse  of  must 
be  looked  at  more  closely. 

A  deer  when  started  may  generally  be  halted  by 
any  sudden,  new,  or  strange  noise  in  a  direction  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  noise  or  thing  that  alarmed 
him.  But  to  have  this  effect  he  must  not  see  anything 
to  alarm  him.  Hence  if  a  deer  be  coming  toward 
you  and  be  not  too  closely  pursued  by  anything,  a 
bleat  like  that  of  a  sheep,  a  sharp  whistle,  yell,  or 
other  noise  will  be  very  apt  to  cause  him  to  stop. 

But,  as  a  rule,  a  deer  will  not  stop  for  any  noise  in 
the  direction  of  the  cause  of  his  alarm,  especially  if 
he  has  smelt  a  person.  The  report  of  your  gun  is 
quite  likely  to  make  him  stop,  if  anything  will;  though 


SUBORDINATE  PRINCIPLES.  223 

I  believe  that  where  such  is  the  case  there  is  generally 
an  echo  that  perplexes  the  deer  so  that  he  knows  not 
whence  the  sound  comes. 

Sometimes  a  strange  noise  like  that  of  a  shot  from 
a  rifle  will  so  perplex  a  deer  that  he  will  not  run  at 
all  until  he  not  only  knows  what  it  is  but  knows  its 
direction.  We  saw  an  instance  of  this  in  the  last 
chapter.  To  some  this  may  have  appeared  a  trifle 
overdrawn.  But  I  know  numerous  cases  of  a  deer 
standing  while  a  dozen  bullets  whizzed  around  him, 
at  short  range  too;  and  have  one  well-attested  case  of 
a  gentleman  shooting  out  five  cartridges  he  had  in 
his  Winchester,  and  then  refilling  and  emptying  it 
twice,  making  thirty-five  shots  at  a  single  deer  only  a 
hundred  yards  away.  He  told  me  this  himself;  and 
two  of  his  companions  counted  the  shots. 

Such  a  fool  does  mere  curiosity  sometimes  make 
of  deer  that  they  will  stay  to  investigate  the  noise 
even  when  they  see  the  shooter  plainly.  Once,  while 
returning  from  a  hunt  that  I  had  to  give  up  because 
of  an  attack  of  sick  headache,  I  saw  three  deer  run  up 
a  range  of  low  hills  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  wagon. 
I  made  a  detour  and  got  above  and  nearly  ahead  of 
them;  but  was  so  weak  and  exhausted  by  running 
and  climbing  with  the  headache  that  I  could  scarcely 
stand.  While  waiting  to  catch  my  breath  and  let  my 
hand  get  a  little  steadiness,  they  came  directly  in 
plain  sight  of  me.  Seeing  that  they  would  pass  out 
of  sight  in  a  minute  if  I  did  not  shoot,  I  commenced 
operations.  I  had  a  Sharp's  rifle  and  eighteen  car- 
tridges in  my  belt  and  one  in  my  rifle.  Those  deer 
stopped  within  sixty  yards  at  the  first  shot,  and  one 
stood  there  until  I  fired  away  the  last  shot.  I  tried 
my  very  best  to  miss  them  entirely;  but  about  the 


224  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

tenth  shot  one  got  hit  in  the  kidneys  with  a  ball  in- 
tended for  the  shoulder,  and  about  the  seventeenth 
shot  a  ball  intended  for  the  nearest  of  the  two  remain- 
ing ones  hit  the  other  one  standing  a  few  steps  beyond. 
After  the  last  cartridge  was  gone  the  last  one  still 
stood  looking,  and  stayed  until  I  moved  several  steps 
toward  him  with  the  empty  rifle.  During  nearly  all 
this  time  I  stood  in  plain  sight,  making  plenty  of 
motion  with  loading  and  firing,  and  after  shooting  a 
few  times  I  had  to  move  a  few  steps  to  a  stone  to  sit 
down  upon.  Yet  all  the  while  the  deer  seemed  deter- 
mined to  know  what  sort  of  a  noise  that  was,  though 
they  saw  me  plainly. 

All  such  cases  are,  however,  rare  exceptions,  and 
generally  happen  only  with  deer  that  have  seldom  or 
never  seen  a  man  or  heard  a  gun.  There  is  but  one 
sound  principle  to  be  drawn  from  them.  And  that  is 
this:  whenever  you  see  a  deer  moving,  whether  merely 
traveling,  or  alarmed  either  by  you  or  some  one  else, 
get  ahead  of  him  and  above  him  if  you  can  do  so. 

For  this  reason  it  is  often  advisable  to  open  fire  at 
once  upon  a  running  deer,  where  you  have  a  rifle  that 
can  be  rapidly  loaded.  But  if  you  have  a  single-load- 
ing gun  or  muzzle-loader,  and  are  not  a  good  shot  at 
running  game,  the  chances  of  the  deer  stopping  any- 
how may  be  greater  than  your  chances  of  hitting 
him;  and  in  case  he  does  stop  he  is  almost  certain  to 
stop  just  long  enough  to  let  you  load  and  raise  the 
rifle  about  half  Way  to  a  level  and  then  he  is  canter- 
ing gayly  away.  A  deer  running  up  hill  is  very  apt  to 
stop  once  or  twice  to  look  back,  and  even  when  very 
wild  he  is  apt  to  stop  at  the  top  of  the  hill  for  an 
instant.  Hence  it  may  be  best  to  reserve  your  fire 
unless  you  have  a  repeater  or  double  breech-loader. 


SUBORDINATE  PRINCIPLES.  225 

But  running  down  hill  a  deer  is  not  apt  to  stop.  And 
running  on  a  level  he  is  less  likely  to  stop  than  when 
running  up  hill,  but  more  likely  to  stop  than  when 
running  down  hill.  All  these  principles  will,  however, 
be  modified  by  the  question  whether  the  deer  knows 
what  he  is  running  from.  If  he  has  smelt  you  or  seen 
you  plainly  he  is  far  less  apt  to  stop  on  any  kind  of 
ground;  but  if  he  has  run  only  from  the  noise  you 
make  he  is  more  likely  to  stop. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  saw  how  a  deer  may  be  ap- 
proached in  the  open  field  of  his  vision.  In  that  case, 
however,  he  did  not  see  you,  or  at  least  noticed  noth- 
ing suspicious;  as,  if  he  saw  you  at  all,  he  did  not  know 
you  from  a  stump. 

There  is  one  case,  however,  in  which  a  deer  may  be 
Approached  while  looking  directly  at  you  and  perhaps 
suspecting  what  you  are.  There  are  some  deer  so 
tame  that  you  may  do  this  even  on  open  ground  for  a 
short  distance;  but  I  do  not  refer  to  such,  and  no  con- 
clusions should  be  drawn  from  such  cases.  I  refer  to 
deer  pretty  wild;  though,  as  a  rule,  it  can  be  done  only 
with  tame  ones. 

Here,  for  instance,  is  a  big  buck  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  or  more  away.  He  is  standing  in  brush  nearly 
shoulder-high;  you  can  see  only  his  horns  and  ears, 
and  they  are  turned  directly  toward  you.  It  is  plain 
that  he  has  seen  you  first  and  is  ready  to  go  at  any 
instant. 

You  know  the  difficulty  of  hitting  the  head  at  that 
distance;  you  know  the  folly  of  trying  to  hit  his  body 
by  guesswork;  and  you  also  know  he  will  not  tarry 
long.  Now  the  same  brush  that  conceals  his  body 
also  conceals  the  greater  part  of  yours — this  being 
supposed  to  be  brushy  open  ground,  the  only  place 


226  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

where  this  kind  of  approaching  can  be  done  with  any 
fair  chance  of  success — and  by  taking  advantage  of 
that  fact  you  may  with  quickness  cut  down  the  dis- 
tance to  seventy-five  yards  before  he  starts.  Down, 
then,  with  your  head  if  you  can,  and  run  directly 
toward  him.  If  you  cannot  hide  your  head  drop 
your  hat,  or  you  might  as  well  drop  it  in  either  case. 
But  run,  run,  run  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  never  mind 
necessary  noise,  but  make  none  needlessly.  You  will 
often  lose  a  shot  this  way,  but  you  will  more  often  get 
a  better  one  than  you  could  have  had  from  where  you 
first  saw  the  head.  In  the  same  way  you  may  charge 
on  deer  with  a  horse. 

You  have  already  seen  that  if  you  walk  too  fast  you 
will  make  too  much  noise,  will  not  have  time  to  look 
as  closely  and  carefully  as  you  should  do,  and  that 
your  quick  motions  will  catch  a  deer's  sight  more 
quickly  than  if  moving  slowly.  But  there  are  other 
cases  besides  that  above  given  where  it  may  be  ex- 
pedient to  walk  very  fast.  Suppose,  for  instance,  the 
ground  is  in  such  condition  from  crusty  snow  or  dry 
leaves  or  other  cause  that  you  must  make  a  noise  in 
walking,  or  when  it  is  in  good  condition  generally  you 
come  to  a  place  that  you  cannot  get  through  without 
making  enough  noise  to  alarm  every  deer  within  it. 
Then,  as  a  rule,  the  faster  you  go  the  better.  For  a 
deer  does  not  always  start  the  instant  he  hears  a 
noise,  and  even  very  wild  ones  will  often  wait  a  mo- 
ment to  see  what  it  is,  to  see  if  it  is  coming  closer,  etc. 
Moreover,  they  may  on  a  windy  day  or  on  ground  of 
peculiar  formation  be  deceived  in  the  distance  or  di- 
rection of  it — though  this  is  rare — and  wait  a  minute  or 
two  to  hide  or  look.  In  such  case  every  yard  that  can 
be  gained  upon  a  deer  is  important.  And  as  a  deer 


SUBORDINATE  PRINCIPLES.  227 

cares  little  for  the  mere  amount  of  noise,  the  quality  and 
nearness  being  the  main  things  that  determine  his 
action,  you  lose  much  less  by  your  extra  noise  than 
you  gain  by  the  extra  speed.  So,  too,  when  you  must 
go  down  wind,  the  faster  you  can  go  the  greater  your 
chances  of  getting  close  enough  for  a  running  shot 
before  your  scent  reaches  a  deer's  nose.  In  all  such 
cases  it  is  not  advisable  to  run  as  you  did  on  the  deer 
in  the  brush;  though  you  had  better  do  so  in  eyery 
case  in  which  you  attempt  to  approach  a  deer  that  is 
alarmed  and  looking  at  you,  as  he  will  only  stand 
about  so  long  anyhow,  and  the  mere  rapidity  of  your 
motion  will  not  hurry  him  much. 

But,  in  general,  you  cannot  commit  a  worse  error 
than  walking  too  fast.  And  if  deer  are  moderately 
plenty,  the  wind  favorable,  the  walking  soft  and  still, 
you  can  scarcely  go  too  slowly  in  all  those  places  where 
you  are  likely  to  see  a  deer  at  any  moment. 

Many  good  hunters  say,  "  Never  follow  a  deer  that 
has  run  away,  but  look  for  another."  This  advice  is 
substantially  sound,  but  like  nearly  all  good  hunter's 
advice  is  so  carelessly  stated  that  it  is  bad  advice.  To 
follow  directly  on  the  track  of  a  started  deer  is  gener- 
ally useless  unless  the  deer  are  exceedingly  tame  and 
the  ground  very  rolling;  and  even  then  it  is  often  use- 
less except  upon  snow.  Yet  there  are  times  when  you 
had  better  follow  a  deer. 

A  deer  when  started  will  go  from  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  two  or  three  miles.  This  will  depend  upon 
his  wildness,  the  nature  of  the  ground  over  which  he 
has  to  run,  and  the  cause  of  his  alarm.  During  this 
run  he  will  stop  from  one  to  a  dozen  times  and  look 
back  a  few  minutes  or  seconds  only.  He  will  then 
walk  a  few  hundred  yards,  stopping  several  times  to 


228  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

look  back.  Then  he  will  feed  or  browse  a  little  and 
do  plenty  of  looking  back.  Then  lie  will  wander  about 
and  stand  around  for  a  while,  still  looking  back.  And 
finally  he  will  lie  down  and  think  nothing  more  of  the 
back  track  unless  he  be  one  of  the  learned  ones  that 
always  watch  the  back  track.  But  some  deer — such 
as  a  very  fat  buck  on  a  warm  day — are  decidedly  lazy. 
I  have  known  such  a  one  run  only  out  of  sight  over  a 
ridge,  stop  in  the  comfortable  shade  of  a  big  bush, 
watch  there  a  few  minutes,  and  then  lie  down.  So  I 
have  known  a  band  of  deer  run  over  two  or  three  ridges 
and  there  stop  and  begin  feeding  in  five  minutes, 
keeping  then  no  more  watch  in  the  direction  from 
which  they  came  than  in  any  other.  These  and  many 
others  I  have  known  were  cases  in  which  the  deer 
ran  only  from  noise  and  did  not  know  what  caused 
it.  But  deer  when  very  tame  will  often  do  it  when 
they  have  seen  or  smelled  you.  But  even  in  such  cases 
do  not  follow  directly  upon  the  trail  if  you  can  possibly 
avoid  it.  And  be  twenty  times  more  careful  than 
ever  before  how  you  peep  over  a  ridge. 

Although  this  will  generally  fail  with  deer  at  all 
wild,  yet  it  by  no  means  follows  that  it  is  necessary  to 
follow  them  at  once.  Suppose  you  start  a  handsome 
buck  or  a  band  of  deer  this  morning.  It  may  be 
worth  while  to  take  the  trail  in  the  afternoon  and  fol- 
low it  up  as  you  would  the  trail  of  any  deer.  And 
though  it  might  not  reward  you  to  keep  directly  on 
the  trail  all  the  time,  it  may  be  best  to  follow  it  up  to 
the  point  where  the  deer  begin  to  straggle  and  browse; 
then  back  out  and  make  a  detour;  and  then  either  sit 
them  out  if  it  be  open  ground  and  you  can  get  a 
commanding  view,  or  else  hunt  as  you  would  for  any 
deer. 


SUBORDINATE  PRINCIPLES.  229 

But  deer  of  any  kind  either  wild  or  tame  may  often 
be  followed  and  overhauled  by  a  dashing  runner. 
And  a  very  ordinary  runner  can  often  get  ahead  of  a 
started  deer  or  flank  him  so  as  to  get  a  good  shot. 
This  will  generally  fail.  But  success  attends  the  effort 
so  often  that  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  always  follow  a 
deer  under  these  circumstances: 

i st.  Where  the  deer  runs  around  a  hill  and  you  can 
cut  across  it  or  run  around  the  other  way,  or  where 
he  runs  over  it  and  you  can  run  around  it  quickly. 

ad.  Where  the  deer  runs  into  a  basin,  pocket,  or 
valley  and  you  can  make  a  short-cut  to  one  side  or 
the  head  of  it.  If  such  basin  or  pocket  be  up  a  hill 
some  distance  the  deer  will  be  quite  apt  to  stop  awhile 
in  it. 

3d.  Where  the  deer  runs  into  a  long  valley  with  a 
broad  bottom  or  a  narrow  one  with  a  good  trail  at  the 
bottom.  In  such  case  run  parallel  with  the  ravine, 
but  on  the  dividing  ridge,  and  keep  out  of  sight  except 
when  you  peep  over.  A  deer  is  apt  to  be  in  little 
haste  in  traversing  such  valleys. 

4th.  In  all  cases  where  the  ground  will  allow  you  to, 
make  a  circuit  and  get  ahead  of  the  deer  or  even 
abreast  with  him,  but  on  one  side. 

While  doing  this  you  must  never  forget  that  the 
deer  even  when  walking  moves  quite  fast,  and  when 
he  is  running  you  have  not  a  second  to  spare.  Your 
only  hope  lies  in  cutting  off  distance,  and  that  in  the 
shortest  possible  time.  Hence  there  are  kinds  of 
ground,  such  as  across  a  wide  valley  or  up  a  long  hill, 
where  you  will  see  at  a  glance  that  running  would  be 
folly. 

Deer  will  sometimes  stand  and  let  a  man  at  a  dis- 
tance pass  by,  especially  along  a  road  where  theykno\v 


230  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

people  travel;  for  a  deer  knows  about  as  well  as  a  man 
what  a  road  means.  But  even  when  there  is  no  road 
deer  will  sometimes  stand.  And  then  they  will  be  apt 
to  trot  off  and  walk,  trot  or  run  for  a  mile  or  two,  and 
look  back  just  as  if  pursued.  Therefore,  when  some 
one  comes  rushing  in  and  tells  you  about  an  "awful 
big  buck"  he  just  saw  along  the  road  or  near  a  spring, 
instead  of  rushing  frantically  out  on  a  wild-goose 
chase,  just  coolly  inquire  what  the  deer  was  doing, 
whether  he  saw  your  informant  or  not,  and  whether 
he  moved  away,  and  whether  he  went  off  on  a  walk, 
trot,  or  run.  And  remember  that  a  deer  started  by 
some  one  else  is  no  better  to  follow  than  one  you  have 
started  yourself. 

When  you  start  a  deer  that  you  cannot  see,  but  only 
hear  or  get  a  glimpse  of,  spring  at  once  to  the  highest 
bit  of  ground  at  hand.  And  if  you  do  not  see  the  game 
at  once  do  not  get  uneasy,  for  it  may  have  stopped  a 
moment  in  brush  or  somewhere  where  you  cannot  at 
once  see  it.  You  will  generally  lose  nothing  by  such 
patience,  for  if  your  deer  has  passed  on  out  of  sight 
you  will  be  too  late  to  head  him  off.  And  if  you  are 
going  to  track  him  there  is  no  haste.  But  if  you  see 
him  again  at  all  shoot  at  once,  for  it  is  likely  to  be 
your  last  chance  for  that  time. 

Antelope  rarely  stop  to  look  back  much  until  at  a 
pretty  safe  distance.  They  are  generally  sufficiently 
amused  with  the  first  crack  of  a  rifle,and  have  little  more 
curiosity  about  its  nature  or  direction.  And  though  they 
may  stop  and  take  a  long  look  at  you,  and  look  very 
large  and  close  as  they  loom  up  against  the  sky,  yet 
that  stopping-point  is  faraway,  and  the  moment  you 
move  they  are  apt  to  move  also.  There  is  little  or  no 
chance  for  you  to  head  off  or  flank  these  slippery 


SUBORDINATE  PRINCIPLES.  231 

beauties,  though  a  companion  may  sometimes  get  be- 
hind them  by  a  long  detour  if  you  keep  still  and  let 
them  watch  you. 

Antelope  are  also  such  wide  travelers  that  unless 
exceedingly  tame  or  upon  very  advantageous  ground 
it  will  rarely  be  worth  while  to  follow  up  any  that  you 
have  once  started.  But  there  are  kinds  of  ground  upon 
which  with  a  good  horse  it  will  be  worth  while.  And 
in  such  case — and  in  fact  with  deer  also — it  is  always 
best  to  give  them  plenty  of  time  to  get  quieted  down. 
And  even  then  approach  them  from  behind  or  one 
side  if  possible,  and  not  on  the  back  trail. 


232  THE   STILL-HUNTER, 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

TWO  OR  MORE    PERSONS    HUNTING  IN    COMPANY.       HUNT- 
ING   ON     HORSEBACK. 

THUS  far  the  beginner  has  been  supposed  to  be 
entirely  alone;  for  the  most  necessary  knowledge  is 
how  to  manage  a  deer  when  alone.  But  two  or  more 
good  hunters  may  often  assist  one  another  very  much; 
on  some  kinds  of  ground  it  is  quite  essential  to  have 
a  companion;  in  some  places  it  may  be  unpleasant  or 
unsafe  to  hunt  alone. 

After  what  you  have  already  seen  of  the  habits  of 
deer  very  little  information  is  needed  about  hunting 
with  a  companion.  By  your  side,  ahead  of  you,  or 
behind  you  he  should  seldom  be.  Two  persons  are 
much  more  apt  to  be  heard  than  one;  each  one  is  in 
haste  to  get  the  first  look  over  a  ridge;  each  one 
hurries  and  flurries  the  other,  just  as  two  pointers  or 
setters  working  together  on  a  warm  trail  of  birds  are 
apt  to  excite  and  more  or  less  demoralize  each  other 
even  beneath  the  very  whip  of  the  trainer.  Conse- 
quently there  is  four  or  five  times  the  danger  of 
alarming  a  deer,  and  of  missing  one  if  shot  at.  Two 
persons  unless  very  steady  shots  should  never  try  to 
shoot  at  once  at  the  same  deer,  or  even  into  a  band. 
Let  one  have  the  first  shot  even  though  a  second 
chance  be  lost.  And  it  is  poor  policy  for  two  to  try 
and  creep  together  even  on  a  band  of  deer  or  ante- 
lope. If  one  cannot  get  around  and  lie  in  the  course 


TWO   OR  MORE  HUNTING  IN  COMPANY.     233 

the  game  is  likely  to  take  when  it  runs,  he  had  better 
stay  back  and  leave  all  the  fun  to  his  comrade. 
Men  who  have  hunted  for  market  or  for  skins  for  a 
long  time  may  of  course  acquire  the  stolidity  of 
butchers  and  not  excite  each  other.  But  the  mere 
amateur  had  better  heed  the  above  advice. 

In  moving  over  pretty  level  ground  two  persons 
should  keep  abreast:  in  the  woods  just  far  enough 
apart  to  keep  in  sight  of  each  other;  in  open  ground 
still  farther  apart.  Then  if  either  start  a  deer  it  may 
run  across  the  course  of  the  other  one.  On  rolling 
ground  you  may  generally  keep  closer  together  than 
on  level  ground.  In  going  up  a  valley  take  opposite 
sides  of  the  bottom,  if  the  bottom  be  a  hundred  or 
two  hundred  yards  or  so  in  width.  But  if  narrow  at 
the  bottom,  with  high  sides,  it  may  be  better  for 
one  to  take  the  bottom  and  the  other  the  high  ground 
above  or  walk  pretty  well  up  along  the  side.  Should 
the  bottom  of  a  valley  narrow  and  deep  contain 
trees  or  brush  in  which  deer  are  apt  to  be  lying 
this  should  always  be  done,  as  they  will  not  be 
apt  to  start  unless  some  one  be  in  the  bottom, 
and  then  the  one  in  the  bottom  may  either  get  no 
shot  at  all  or  a  very  poor  one.  Should  the  valley  be 
both  narrow  and  shallow  so  as  to  be  a  mere  gully 
from  which  deer  will  start  at  sight  of  a  person  along 
the  edge,  then  you  should  take  opposite  edges.  In 
going  around  a  hill  take  opposite  sides,  whether  you 
go  around  at  the  base  or  at  the  top.  When  going 
along  a  ridge  toward  the  point  each  person  should 
take  one  side  of  the  top  just  below  the  level  of  the 
top,  so  that  he  can  see  anything  running  along  the 
sides  or  top  either.  In  traversing  a  ridge  the  other 
way  one  had  better  make  a  circuit  and  get  upon  the 


234  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

back  of  the  ridge  far  away  from  the  point,  and  then 
let  the  other  ascend  the  point.  The  same  plan  is 
often  advisable  in  traversing  a  short  gulch  or  ravine, 
instead  of  each  one  taking  one  edge.  But  it  is  not 
always  worth  while  to  take  this  trouble  unless  you 
have  reason  to  believe  you  will  start  something.  You 
will  of  course  divide  at  all  windfalls,  brush-patches, 
etc.,  where  there  is  any  probability  of  a  deer,  and 
either  keep  abreast  in  going  around  or  let  one  take  a 
wide  circuit  first  and  get  on  the  opposite  side  while 
you  go  through.  Movements  of  this  sort  become 
quite  obvious  after  you  once  thoroughly  know  the 
habits  of  deer.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  now  to  tell 
you  where  to  post  a  third  or  fourth  companion  if  you 
should  have  one  with  you. 

Good  deer-driving  may  often  be  done  by  a  single 
person.  One  man  can  generally  start  a  deer  from  a 
piece  of  ground,  especially  if  he  goes  down  wind,  quite 
as  effectually  as  a  dozen  dogs.  There  is  a  partial 
exception  to  this  in  the  case  of  the  skulking  deer; 
but,  if  they  are  at  all  plenty,  enough  of  them  will 
run  to  give  your  companions  a  shot.  This  is  often  the 
only  way  that  a  piece  of  noisy  or  very  brushy  ground 
can  be  hunted  without  dogs. 

This  driving  may  be  done  by  letting  one  or  more 
persons  go  through  the  ground  where  the  deer  are 
likely  to  be,  cracking  plenty  of  brush  on  the  way, 
while  the  rest  are  posted  at  probable  points  of  escape 
for  the  game.  But  this  is  not  worth  while  unless  you 
already  know  about  where  the  game  is,  or  you  are 
driving  a  basin  or  gulch  or  hill  almost  certain  to 
contain  something.  A  better  way  when  you  are  un- 
certain of  the  game  and  are  skirmishing  about  at 
random  to  find  it  is  to  form  a  line,  and  move  abreast 


These  chaps  are  on  the  track  of  this  deer,  and  both  together 
when  they  should  have  separated  and  gone  along  the  sides  of  the 
hill  as  soon  as  they  found  he  had  gone  down  the  point.  But  it 
was  better  walking  on  the  ridge. 


TWO   OR  MORE  HUNTING  IN  COMPANY.     235 

about  a  hundred  yards  apart  in  the  woods  and  two 
hundred  to  three  hundred  or  even  more  in  open 
ground.  But  if  the  open  be  very  rolling  or  brushy, 
keep  the  same  distance  as  in  the  woods.  This  line 
should  be  curved  by  the  ends  going  forward  and  the 
center  lagging  a  little  when  approaching  a  likely 
looking  place.  This,  however,  requires  good  know- 
ledge of  the  ground  and  a  previous  understanding 
among  the  party.  I  luive  seen  Indians  do  it  to  great 
advantage  in  very  dense  woods,  making  a  perfect 
drag-net  of  the  line. 

A  large  number  of  persons  may  be  used  in  such  a 
way.  But  first-rate  work  can  be  often  done  by  four 
or  five  and  without  bending  the  line.  It  requires  only 
a  general  knowledge  of  the  places  where  deer  are 
likely  to  be,  and  of  the  directions  they  are  likely  to 
take  when  started.  Here,  for  instance,  is  a  set  of 
short  ravines  running  into  a  main  valley.  These  little 
ravines  lie  nearly  parallel  with  each  other,  are  quite 
numerous,  brushy,  and  good  places  for  deer.  Now  in- 
stead of  going  down  one  and  up  another,  etc.,  as  a 
single  person  should  often  do  if  he  is  to  hunt  them  at 
all,  the  line  should  sweep  across  them  all;  one  person 
being  at  the  head,  another  at  the  mouth,  the  rest  be- 
tween. This  is  because  it  can  be  done  in  one  quarter 
of  the  time  the  other  way  would  require,  and  because 
the  deer  are  more  apt  to  run  up  or  down  the  ravines 
than  across  them. 

When  hunting  with  companions  always  shoot  when 
a  deer  runs  toward  any  of  them,  even  if  you  have  no 
good  shot.  For  if  a  person  be  not  expecting  it,  a 
deer  may  be  out  of  shot  before  he  knows  it,  or  may 
slip  past  him  quite  unseen  and  unheard.  A  shot  is 
the  surest  warning  that  can  be  given. 


236  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

When  you  hear  a  comrade  shoot,  run  at  once  to 
a  rock,  piece  of  high  ground,  or  other  command- 
ing position.  Remain  there  some  time  keeping 
a  sharp  outlook,  for  a  deer  may  not  be  running  away 
from  your  friend  fast.  Or  he  may  be  wounded  and 
only  walking  away.  And  if  the  ground  be  brushy  it 
will  take  both  patient  and  keen  watching  to  keep  a 
slowly  traveling  deer  from  passing  you  unseen  and 
unheard.  But  never  go  at  once  to  your  companion 
unless  he  calls  you,  for  he  may  not  be  done  shooting, 
or  may  have  wounded  one  and  be  trying  to  get 
another  shot  at  it,  etc.  etc. 

In  hunting  antelope  with  companions  in  the  ways 
above  shown,  the  distances  you  should  be  from  one 
another  must  generally  be  vastly  greater  than  when 
hunting  deer.  They  should  be  at  least  doubled  for 
the  very  tamest  antelope,  unless  upon  very  rolling 
ground.  And  for  wild  ones  on  ground  that  is  but  a 
little  rolling  the  distances  should  be  five  or  six  and 
sometimes  nearly  ten  times  as  great.  When  antelope 
get  once  started  upon  a  certain  course  they  are  often 
hard  to  turn  from  it  by  anything  approaching  from 
the  side;  especially  if  the  leading  buck  get  ahead  be- 
fore he  sees  the  danger.  Hence  a  horseman  can  dash 
in  quite  close  to  a  long-strung-out  band  of  antelope 
by  running  in  well  behind  the  leader.  They  can  be 
turned,  however,  and  driven  back  and  forth  by  being 
headed  off  by  outposts  placed  far  enough  out  ahead 
of  them.  Deer  could  probably  be  managed  the  same 
way  upon  the  same  kind  of  ground,  though  they  are 
ready  enough  to  swerve  from  their  chosen  course 
when  they  see  danger  on  either  side  of  it.  And  they 
care  but  little  for  leaders. 


TWO   OR  MORE  HUNTING  IN  COMPANY.     237 

All  such  hunting  on  the  plains  must,  however  be 
done  upon  horseback. 

The  use  of  a  horse  in  general  still-hunting  is  a 
point  upon  which  hunters  differ.  The  truth  of  the 
matter  I  take  to  be  this:  Wherever  a  saddle-horse 
can  be  used  to  carry  you  to  and  from  your  hunting- 
ground,  to  carry  you  from  one  point  of  it  to  another 
and  at  the  same  time  carry  your  game  out,  by  all 
means  use  one.  For  even  then  you  will  have  all  the 
walking  necessary  for  exercise,  etc.  And  in  general, 
the  more  you  can  ride  the  more  you  can  walk. 

But  whether  it  will  be  worth  while  to  remain  in 
the  saddle  while  hunting  is  a  vastly  different  matter. 
In  hunting  antelope  so  much  ground  has  often  to  be 
traversed  that  a  horse  is  almost  a  necessity.  So  some- 
times with  deer  upon  prairie  and  other  open  ground 
of  that  nature.  In  such  cases  most  hunters  remain 
in  the  saddle  until  they  catch  first  sight  of  the  game. 
Then  they  dismount  and  proceed  as  is  usual  when 
hunting  upon  foot. 

But  others  remain  on  horseback  all  the  time  and 
shoot  from  the  saddle  or  jump  off  and  shoot  quickly. 
And  this  is  what  is  really  meant  by  hunting  on  horse- 
back. Whether  it  is  ever  expedient  to  hunt  antelope 
in  this  way  may  be  doubted.  The  shots  are  generally 
so  long  that  a  horse  would  have  to  actually  hold  his 
breath  to  allow  you  to  take  a  fine  enough  aim.  And 
even  by  jumping  off  to  shoot  you  would  gain  but 
little  if  antelope  were  very  wild,  as  a  long  running 
shot  would  be  about  all  you  would  get. 

It  is  now  as  hard  to  find  antelope  that  do  not  know 
exactly  what  a  man  on  horseback  means  as  it  is  to 
find  wild-geese  that  do  not  know  what  a  man  in  a 
boat  means.  Consequently  the  main  reliance  must  be 


238  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

in  approaching  them  without  their  knowing  it,  or  by 
true  still-hunting  or  stalking.  But  this  can  hardly 
ever  be  done  with  a  horse,  which  they  are  very  sure 
to  see  or  hear.  All  the  success  with  a  horse  depends 
upon  the  assumption  that  the  game  is  not  so  afraid  of 
a  mounted  man  as  of  one  afoot.  And  this  is  now 
rarely  the  case  with  antelope. 

There  are,  however,  many  places  where  deer  are 
not  so  afraid  of  a  mounted  man  as  of  one  on  foot. 
This  may  result  from  two  causes,  both  directly  oppo- 
site. First,  because  they  rarely  or  never  see  a  mounted 
man.  Secondly,  because  they  never  see  a  man  in  any 
other  way  and  are  not  disturbed  by  horsemen. 

And  first :  Where  deer  seldom  see  a  man  on  horse- 
back there  are  many  that  will  have  little  fear  of  one, 
and  will  let  one  ride  up  within  easy  shot,  either  stand- 
ing up  or  lying  down,  and  looking  at  the  combination 
with  some  curiosity,  but  with  little  concern.  Conse- 
quently if  the  ground  be  noisy  from  any  cause,  or  the 
ground  be  too  level  or  brushy  for  still-hunting,  you 
may  do  far  better  to  both  hunt  and  shoot  on  horse- 
back. So  where  a  country  is  quite  open  and  level 
enough,  like  prairie,  you  may  often  do  better  with  a 
horse,  wagon,  or  sleigh  than  you  can  on  foot.  Deer 
know  the  tread  of  heavy  animals  perfectly,  and  will 
often  stand  quite  unconcerned  about  the  tramp  of 
hoofs  when  they  would  fly  from  a  light  crack  of  a 
twig. 

Secondly:  Where  deer  are  used  to  mounted  men, 
but  are  not  much  disturbed  by  them  (as  in  Lower 
California,  where  no  one  hunts,  and  only  once  in  a 
long  while  a  dash  is  made  with  the  lasso  at  a  deer  on 
open  ground,  but  where  scarcely  any  one  is  ever  seen 
on  foot),  this  may  be  the  best  way  to  hunt,  as  you 


TWO   OK  MORE  HUNTING  IN  COMPANY.     239 

may  not  only  get  closer  to  deer  than  you  could  do  on 
foot,  but  can  traverse  far  more  ground  in  a  day.  Deer 
vary,  however,  about  this,  and  I  have  seen  plenty 
that,  though  used  to  horsemen  and  not  disturbed  by 
them,  were  easier  to  approach  on  foot.  And  where 
they  are  hunted  much  on  horseback  they  learn  per- 
fectly what  a  horse  means,  and  will  often  run  at  the 
sound  of  hoofs  without  stopping  to  see  whether  there 
be  a  man  on  the  horse  or  not,  and  this,  too,  when 
wild  mustangs  and  cattle  are  ranging  the  hills  and 
the  deer  feed  among  them  without  fear.  They  seem 
to  know  the  different  sound  of  the  hoofs  of  a  horse 
with  a  man  on  him  just  as  well  as  a  man  can  generally 
tell  it.  The  only  sure  way  to  test  the  question  whether 
hunting  on  a  horse  is  better  than  on  foot  is  to  try  it. 
And  often  the  advantage  of  traversing  more  ground 
overbalances  all  else.  If  one  is  to  go  stumbling  with 
heavy  boots  over  noisy  ground  he  had  much  better 
be  on  a  horse  and  go  as  fast  as  he  can.  But  if  he 
will  wear  moccasins  and  use  thorough  care  he  can 
approach  almost  any  deer  or  antelope  much  closer 
than  he  can  on  a  horse,  provided  the  deer  has  not 
seen  him  at  a  distance.  If  you  cannot  keep  them 
from  seeing  you,  as  when  you  are  on  level  ground,  etc., 
then  your  chances  will  be  better  on  a  horse,  unless  the 
deer  are  too  much  hunted  on  horseback.  When  a 
deer  sees  you,  you  can  often  get  closer  by  a  dash  on 
horseback  than  if  on  foot. 

A  good  hunting-horse  is  not  the  easiest  thing  in 
the  world  to  get.  It  is  commonly  supposed  that  some 
phlegmatic  old  hack  whose  sensibilities  have  been 
blunted  by  a  thorough  course  of  work,  starvation, 
and  thrashing  is  best  for  this  purpose.  But  such  a 
horse  is  rarelv  sure  of  foot  and  is  sure  to  be  slow. 


240  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

When  you  start  out  hunting  you  naturally  desire  to 
get  somewhere  before  dark.  Such  a  horse  is  also 
quite  as  apt  to  be  a  fool  as  any  horse  is.  There  are 
plenty  of  old  horses  that  never  exhibit  any  symptoms 
of  sensibility  until  you  come  around  them  with  a 
gun. 

Far  better  than  any  such  stock  is  a  good  active 
young  horse.  But  he  must  have  "  horse  sense;"  and 
so  must  his  rider.  The  hunting-horse  needs  kind  and 
rational  treatment,  and  above  all  quiet,  cool,  easy 
handling.  He  must  not  be  jerked  or  kicked  for  being 
uneasy  under  fire.  By  such  treatment,  as  well  as  by 
firing  over  his  head,  you  can  completely  ruin  a  horse 
that  is  already  quite  well  trained.  And  whipping  and 
scolding  will  never  make  him  allow  a  dead  deer  to  be 
put  on  his  back.  He  may  allow  it  that  time,  but  an- 
other time  he  is  liable  to  object  most  seriously  about 
the  time  you  get  it  on  and  begin  to  tie  it  fast.  He 
should  be  allowed  to  smell  of  the  deer  as  long  as  he 
wishes,  being  patted  meanwhile  instead  of  scolded. 
Then  if  he  does  not  yield,  quietly  blindfold  him  until 
it  is  firmly  lashed  on.  If  you  put  it  on  so  carelessly 
at  first  that  it  slips  and  hangs  on  his  side  or  under 
his  belly,  especially  if  he  succeeds  in  kicking  or 
"  bucking"  himself  free  from  it,  you  will  be  apt  to 
have  trouble  with  him  in  the  future. 

Sometimes  a  very  good  horse  cannot  resist  a  trifling 
nervousness  when  you  raise  the  rifle  ;  a  nervousness 
not  born  of  fear,  but  only  of  expectation.  In  such 
case  you  will  have  to  dismount  to  make  any  sort  of 
a  fine  shot.  And  you  will  have  to  do  so  nearly  al- 
ways to  make  a  very  good  long  shot.  If  your  horse 
will  not  stay  where  you  leave  him,  have  a  rope  thirty 
or  forty  feet  long  knotted  into  several  large  loops  at 


TWO   OR  MORE  HUNTING  IN  COMPANY.     241 

one  end,  with  the  other  end  tied  around  his  neck  and 
then  looped  around  his  nose  with  a  noose  that  cannot 
slip  off.  Carry  over  the  horn  of  the  saddle  the  set  of 
loops,  which  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  take  up 
nearly  all  the  rope  and  come  under  the  horse's  feet 
when  cast  off.  Cast  them  off  when  you  jump,  and 
you  may  leave  your  horse  a  long  time  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  finding  him  firmly  anchored  somewhere 
very  near  by,  no  matter  how  well  he  may  understand 
getting  away  with  a  picket-rope.  This  is  much  bet- 
ter than  a  bayonet  or  other  sharp  picket-pin,  as  it 
takes  no  time  to  cast  off  the  rope,  is  not  so  liable  to 
come  loose,  especially  in  soft  ground,  and  needs  no 
pounding  on  hard  ground.  Holding  the  rope  while 
you  shoot  is  very  unreliable  as  well  as  a  little  unsafe 
if  your  horse  be  too  fearful. 


242  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SPECIAL  MODES  OF  HUNTING.       THE  COW-BELL  AND 
TIRING  DOWN  DEER. 

As  before  stated,  the  art  of  still-hunting  consists 
not  in  the  use  of  tricks  or  artifices,  but  in  the  ready 
and  skillful  application  of  sound  common-sense  prin- 
ciples. 

There  are,  however,  a  few  modes  in  which  deer  and 
antelope  may  be  hunted  that  are  special  and  approach 
the  nature  of  tricks.  Some  of  these,  such  as  luring 
antelope  within  shot  by  a  red  flag  or  kicking  up  the 
foot  behind  one  occasionally  when  stretched  upon  the 
ground,  thus  taking  advantage  of  their  curiosity,  etc., 
have  already  been  so  fully  and  frequently  described 
by  other  writers  that  for  the  sake  of  brevity  I  will  omit 
them  and  confine  myself  to  two  modes  which,  so  far  as 
I  can  remember,  have  never  been  written  about  be- 
fore. Though  both  are  in  fact  noisy  hunting,  yet,  be- 
ing the  outgeneraling  of  a  deer  by  a  single  person, 
properly  belong  to  still-hunting.  The  first  is  the  use 
of  the  cow-bell. 

In  many  parts  of  our  country  the  deer  are  used  to 
the  sound  of  the  cow-bell  during  the  spring,  summer, 
and  autumn,  and  wherever  belled  cattle  run  those 
deer  that  have  been  accustomed  to  seeing  the  cattle 
and  hearing  the  bell  at  the  same  time,  so  as  to  associ- 
ate the  two,  will  be  little  afraid  of  the  bell,  proi'ided 
they  are  not  hunted  in  this  way.  Therefore,  when  the 


SPECIAL  MODES  OF  HUNTING.  243 

autumn  leaves  are  dry  and  crackly,  or  the  snow  is 
stiff  and  noisy,  or  the  brush  is  thick  and  high,  it  is  well 
to  try  the  cow-bell. 

Hang  the  bell  over  your  shoulder  so  that  it  will 
sound  as  if  on  a  cow,  and  walk  along  fast,  never 
minding  the  noise  of  your  feet,  but  keeping  a  very 
keen  eye  ahead.  Two  companions,  one  on  each  side, 
about  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  yards  from  you 
and  forty  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  ahead,  may  often 
work  well  in  brush  or  on  snow,  but  on  snow  they  must 
be  farther  out  from  you  than  on  bare  ground,  unless 
it  is  very  brushy.  It  is  well  to  have  a  set  of  signals 
with  the  bell  so  as  to  tell  them  if  you  see  a  deer,  or, 
if  on  a  trail,  which  way  it  turns,  etc.  Deer  act  very 
differently  before  the  bell,  and  it  is  always  liable  to 
fail,  though  it  will  often  give  you  great  success.  In 
thick  brush  deer  that  are  accustomed  to  belled  cattle 
will  be  apt  to  play  along  before  the  bell  about  a 
hundred  yards  or  so  ahead,  stopping  to  look  back  at 
it,  and  watching  its  direction  so  closely  that  they  do 
not  notice  your  companions  on  the  sides.  Sometimes 
they  will  stand  quite  unconcerned,  looking  at  you  un- 
til you  get  in  plain  open  sight,  so  that  you  can  get  a 
good  shot.  And  sometimes  they  will  run  at  the  first 
sound  of  it,  and  not  let  you  even  get  sight  of  them.  I 
have  seen  an  old  buck  so  bothered  by  the  bell  that  it 
seemed  impossible  to  make  him  run,  although  for  five 
minutes  I  did  my  very  best  to  miss  him;  and  my  fin- 
gers were  so  numb  with  cold  that  I  could  hardly  load 
the  rifle,  while  he  stood  looking  at  me  in  the  utmost 
amazement,  at  only  fifty  yards.  Every  time  he  start- 
ed to  run  a  single  jingle  of  the  bell  would  make  him 
halt  and  look  all  around.  This  buck  was  celebrated 
for  his  wildness,  but  no  one  had  thought  of  trying  a 


244  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

bell  on  him,  although  belled  cattle  had  been  ranging 
with  him  all  summer.  But  with  some  deer  this  will 
not  work  at  alj.  I  was  staying  once  at  a  logging- 
camp  when  a  light  sleet  suddenly  made  the  hunting 
very  bad  for  a  few  days.  Having  noticed  that  many 
of  the  logging-teams  wore  small  bells,  and  that  deer 
stood  around,  browsed,  and  even  lay  down  within 
sound  of  these,  I  got  a  bell  and  went  after  the  deer. 
Deer  were  quite  plenty,  and  the  first  day  I  jumped 
over  a  dozen  single  ones  whose  tracks  I  saw,  and 
doubtless  more  whose  tracks  I  did  not  see.  But 
everyone  of  these  jumped  out  of  sight.  The  next  day 
I  muffled  the  clapper  of  the  bell  so  that  it  would  sound 
as  if  very  far  off,  and  the  result  was  the  same  as  the 
day  before.  I  afterward  tried  it  on  soft  snow  with  no 
better  success.  The  reason  probably  was  because  I 
went  away  from  the  road.  Had  I  kept  in  it  at  early 
morning  and  late  in  the  evening  I  might  have  done 
better,  though  the  main  trouble  undoubtedly  was 
that  the  moment  they  heard  it  they  got  up  and 
looked,  and  the  difference  between  me  and  a  logging- 
team  was  too  striking.  The  difference  in  the  tread 
had  also  something  to  do  with  it.  They  had  not  been 
hunted  with  a  bell  before,  but  were  exceedingly  wild 
from  being  still-hunted  by  Indians  and  market-shoot- 
ers. I  never  tried  the  bell  on  California  deer,  but 
should  think  it  would  be  of  little  use,  except,  where 
cattle  wear  bells;  though  if  the  ground  is  such  that 
you  must  make  a  noise  anyhow,  it  would  be  well  to 
try  it  anywhere.  And  it  is  sometimes  a  good  plan 
to  put  it  on  a  horse  in  hunting  very  bushy  or  very 
rough  ground,  where  deer  cannot  see  far.  Some  deer 
know  the  step  of  a  man  so  perfectly,  however,  that 
they  cannot  be  deceived  by  anything,  and  nothing  but 


SPECIAL  MODES  OF  HUNTING.  245 

the  utmost  strategy  and  caution  will  avail.  And 
whenever  the  ground  will  allow  still  walking  you  had 
better  depend  only  upon  strategy  and  caution  in  hunt- 
ing all  deer,  and  let  horses,  cow-bells,  etc.,  alone. 

The  other  mode  is  tiring  down  a  deer  so  that  he 
loses  his  wildness  so  far  as  to  allow  you  to  get  close 
enough  for  a  shot.  This  can  generally  be  done  only 
upon  snow  so  light  as  not  to  impede  your  walking, 
while  it  enables  you  to  follow  the  trail  without  delay 
in  looking  for  tracks.  It  may,  however,  with  a  very 
fat  deer  be  done  on  some  kinds  of  bare  ground  where 
rapid  tracking  is  easy.  I  am  aware  that  deer  may  be 
run  down  on  a  deep  crusty  snow  by  a  man  on  snow- 
shoes.  But  this  is  mere  brutal  butchery.  Whenever 
the  snow  is  deep  enough  and  hard  enough  to  do  that 
the  deer  are  so  poor  as  to  be  almost  worthless  either 
for  venison  or  for  their  hides.  I  refer  only  to  tiring  a 
deer  when  in  good  condition  and  when  he  has  some 
chance  for  his  life. 

Probably  every  one  who  has  been  much  among  old 
hunters  has  heard  of  that  illustrious  individual  who 
can  "run  down  a  deer  and  whip  him  into  camp  with 
his  ramrod."  Like  the  man  who  "shoots  from  the  hip 
as  well  as  anybody  else  can  from  the  shoulder,"  he  is 
a  little  hard  to  find.  You  can  find  his  cousin,  his 
nephew,  or  his  uncle  without  much  difficulty,  and  you 
can  find  plenty  of  men  who  have  seen  him;  but  you 
cannot  find  him  yourself.  This  admixture  of  what  is 
probably  sheer  nonsense  with  what  is  real  truth  has 
caused  many  persons  to  disbelieve  the  real  facts  of 
the  case. 

If  a  deer  be  chased  all  day  by  a  man  upon  a  dog- 
trot, or  even  upon  a  rapid  walk,  the  deer  toward  even- 
ing will  tire  down,  not  so  that  the  man  can  catch  or 


24G  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

strike  him,  or  even  get  within  a  stone's  throw  of  him; 
but  the  deer  will  get  more  and  more  careless,  and 
stand  longer  and  longer  at  each  stopping-place,  and 
even  begin  to  feed,  until  finally  the  pursuer  gets  a 
pretty  fair  shot  at  him. 

I  am  here  compelled  to  go  outside  of  my  own  ex- 
perience. I  never  would  pay  so  high  a  price  for  a 
deer  as  such  hunting  involves,  and  consequently  never 
tried  it.  But  I  have  time  and  again  met  Indians  in 
the  woods  following  a  trail  on  a  dog-trot,  and  talked 
with  them  about  it.  And  I  have  known  friends  of 
mine  stopping  at  the  same  camp  at  which  I  was  stop- 
ping try  the  same  thing.  There  was  always  a  pretty 
general  agreement  about  two  things: 

ist.  That  a  deer  may  often  be  shot  in  this  way,  but 
that  in  general  it  will  take  nearly  an  all-day  tramp  of 
at  least  three  miles  an  hour,  and  for  anything  like  cer- 
tainty it  should  be  at  least  five  miles. 

2d.  That  some  deer  cannot  be  overtaken  in  this 
way  in  one  day;  but  the  pursuer  must  camp  on  the 
track  and  take  it  again  in  the  morning,  or  must  re- 
turn to  it  if  he  goes  off  to  camp.  The  second  day,  it 
is  said,  is  quite  sure  to  end  the  chase;  but  often  the 
first  day  will  not.  I  once  knew  two  men  who  were 
most  tireless  trampers  try  it  for  three  successive 
days  on  only  an  inch  of  snow  that  had  been  stiffened 
by  a  thaw,  and  give  it  up.  They  had  to  take  differ- 
ent deer  every  day,  as  they  left  the  trail  each  night  so 
far  from  camp  that  they  thought  their  chances  better 
with  a  new  one. 

On  the  whole,  this  is  a  mode  of  hunting  suitable 
only  for  a  man  of  great  endurance  who  cares  not  how 
soon  he  works  out  the  mine  of  youth  and  health  ;  and 
even  such  a  one  had  better  let  it  alone  unless  the 


SPECIAL   MODES  OF  HUNTING.  247 

ground  be  too  noisy  to  still-hunt  and  he  must  have 
a  deer. 

How  far  this  plan  would  work  with  antelope  if  fol- 
lowed on  horseback  I  cannot  say.  All  the  antelope  it 
has  been  my  lot  to  meet  were  very  wild,  made  nearly 
half  a  day's  journey  at  the  first  run,  and  would  prob- 
ably have  completed  the  day  with  another  run  if  I  had 
been  foolish  enough  to  follow  them.  They  have  far 
more  endurance  than  a  deer. 

All  such  modes  of  hunting  as  watching  water- 
holes,  salt-licks,  turnip-patches,  pine-choppings,  etc., 
although  literally  ^////-hunting,  I  pass  over  as  involving 
neither  knowledge  nor  skill,  except  to  keep  still,  hide 
in  a  tree  or  in  a  hole  in  the  ground,  or  lie  flat  on  the 
leeward  side  to  see  the  deer  when  it  comes,  and  avoid 
overshooting  it;  a  thing  we  will  consider  under  the 
head  of  shooting. 


248  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

DEER    IN    BANDS.       GENERAL    HINTS,    ETC. 

AT  all  times  of  the  year  and  in  all  countries  deer 
are  found  often  in  companies.  Two  yearlings  run- 
ning together,  a  doe  and  fawns,  two  or  three  does 
and  a  buck,  or  sometimes  two  or  three  bucks  together 
are  quite  as  often  met  with  as  is  a  single  deer.  At 
certain  times  of  the  year,  however,  deer  often  gather 
into  bands  of  from  six  to  fifteen  or  twenty-five,  and 
in  some  parts  of  the  country  into  much  larger  bands. 
When  this  occurs  and  where  it  is  most  apt  to  occur 
is  of  no  consequence  even  if  it  were  possible  to  give 
any  general  rule  upon  the  subject.  You  will  know 
a  band  quickly  enough  by  the  tracks,  and  one  or  two 
days'  hunting  will  tell  you  far  better  than  any  rule 
could  do  it  whether  they  are  in  bands  or  not. 

Hunting  a  band  of  deer  requires,  however,  some 
special  care.  When  banded,  deer  range  farther  than 
when  single  or  in  small  companies,  and  shift  oftener 
from  place  to  place.  They  will  have  perhaps  eight  or 
ten  points  of  radiation  from  the  general  center  of 
their  range,  a  basin  here,  a  valley  there,  in  another 
place  a  meadow,  surrounded  with  brush  perhaps,  here 
another  basin,  there  a  rocky  ridge,  etc.  Each  one  of 
these  may  be  half  a  mile  or  even  much  more  from  the 
next  one,  and  from  half  a  mile  to  two  or  three  miles 
from  the  general  center.  All  are  certain  to  contain 
food  and  probably  water.  Each  one  of  these  places 


DEER  IN  BANDS.     GENERAL  HINTS,    ETC.     249 

will  be  connected  with  the  others  by  trails,  upon 
which  the  deer  will  be  almost  sure  to  travel  in  passing 
from  one  to  another.  In  any  one  of  these  places  they 
may  pass  several  days,  and  may  also  pass  only  one 
day  even  when  undisturbed.  The  general  center  may 
be  some  unusually  choice  feeding-ground,  or  the  only 
spring  for  many  miles,  or  may  be  one  of  those  pecu- 
liar spots  that  deer  often  take  a  special  fancy  to  with- 
out any  apparent  reason.  A  band  of  antelope  act 
about  the  same  way,  but  upon  a  vastly  larger  scale. 

To  this  general  center  a  band  of  deer  may  come 
every  night  for  several  nights,  or  may  come  for  two 
or  three  successive  nights;  and  then  stay  away  for 
several  nights,  especially  if  scared  away  from  it. 

Deer  acting  thus  are  in  many  respects  harder  to 
hunt  than  when  single  or  in  small  companies.  The 
prospects  of  making  a  good  bag  when  you  do  find 
them  are  much  better  than  when  they  are  scattered, 
especially  when  on  ground  where  you  can  get  above 
them  or  ahead  of  them.  But  the  prospects  of  any 
one  day  being  a  blank  clay  are  also  much  stronger 
than  when  hunting  scattered  deer.  Unless  you  take 
a  whole  day  to  it  and  find  out  just  where  they  are  in 
time  to  get  "  the  evening  hunt"  on  them,  you  will 
often  discover  only  where  they  are  not.  And  this  dis- 
covery you  may  make  just  too  late  to  go  where  they 
are.  For  unless  you  find  fresh  tracks  at  the  general 
center  which  you  can  follow  back,  it  will  often  use  up 
the  best  hunting-hours  of  the  whole  morning  to  find 
where  they  were  last  night.  And  this  will  sometimes 
be  the  case  when  you  find  the  tracks  at  once  in  the 
morning.  For  you  cannot  safelv  fullow  such  tracks 
back  rapidly,  but  must  be  keeping  a  constant  watch 
for  the  game.  And  if  you  once  start  the  band  it  is 


250  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

quite  apt  to  make  a  long  run;  and  it  will  be  several 
days  before  it  returns  to  that  part  of  its  beat.  There 
are  also  so  many  more  ears  to  hear  you,  so  many 
more  eyes  to  see  you  and  noses  to  smell  you,  and 
some  are  always  watching.  They  may  be  scattered 
about  over  one  acre,  or  over  ten  or  more,  and  if  one 
starts  he  generally  carries  the  rest  along  in  a  general 
stampede.  To  stalk  a  band  requires  in  fact  more 
caution  than  to  stalk  a  single  deer,  although  your 
chances  of  catching  sight  of  game  are  much  greater  in 
case  of  a  band. 

A  troublesome  question  often  arises  what  to  do  when 
in  tracking  a  band  you  see  a  deer.  It  may  be  only  a 
single  deer  not  belonging  to  the  band.  It  may  be  one 
of  the  band,  and  the  nearest  one  to  you.  Or  it  may 
be  the  farthest  one  off,  and  a  dozen  more  may  be 
standing  around  in  brush  or  lying  down  between  you 
and  it.  If  it  is  within  fair  shot  you  should  make  sure 
of  it  unless  it  is  too  small  or  poor,  etc.  For  nowhere 
is  the  maxim  "  A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in 
the  bush"  more  true  than  in  hunting  deer  or  antelope. 
There  may  be  more  near  by,  and  the  attempt  to  see 
them  may  alarm  the  whole.  Even  antelope  can  lie  on 
quite  level  ground  between  you  and  one  standing  up 
without  your  suspecting  it,  and  if  you  raise  your  head 
an  inch  more  to  look  for  them  you  may  alarm  the  one 
you  can  easily  make  sure  of.  But  if  the  one  you  see 
is  too  far  off  for  a  certain  shot  it  may  be  bad  policy 
to  shoot  at  it  at  once  without  waiting  to  see  what  is 
closer  by.  What  to  do  then  must  depend  upon  many 
considerations.  If  the  ground  will  allow  closer  ap- 
proach without  getting  in  sight  or  wind  of  game  or 
making  too  much  noise,  it  is  better  to  get  nearer.  If 
it  is  at  the  time  of  day  when  the  game  is  moving 


DEER  IN  BANDS.     GENERAL  HINTS,    ETC,    251 

about  and  the  nearer  ones  will  be  likely  to  move  in 
sight  it  may  be  best  to  lie  still  for  a  while  and  watch. 
If  at  a  time  when  they  are  likely  to  be  lying  down  it 
may  be  better  to  shoot  at  the  one  you  see,  as  the 
others  may  not  move  again  for  hours;  the  one  you 
see  may  be  the  only  one  on  foot  ;  and  even  that  one 
may  lie  down  at  any  minute.  If  early  in  the  after- 
noon, the  ground  bad  for  a  running  shot,  and  the  one 
you  see  too  far  away,  it  may  be  best  to  sit  down  and 
wait  for  them  to  rise  toward  evening.  And  all  this 
may  be  changed  by  the  fact  that  they  are  moving 
from  place  to  place  and  the  brush  prevents  your  see- 
ing the  rest  of  the  band.  For  deer  can  feed  along 
through  brush  quite  low  and  thin  without  your  see- 
ing them  unless  you  are  well  above  them. 

Banded  deer  may  deceive  you  very  much  in  your 
estimate  of  the  number  of  deer  about.  They  then  do 
so  much  more  moving  than  when  single  that  they  will 
track  up  an  immense  amount  of  ground  in  such  a 
way  that  you  would  fully  believe  there  were  at  least 
twenty  deer  where  there  were  not  over  six  or  eight. 
And  even  two  miles  square  of  ground  may  be  so 
tracked  up  by  a  restless  band  that  one  would  declare 
deer  very  plenty,  when  in  fact  they  may  be  scarce,  the 
next  band  being  two  or  three  miles  away  and  the 
whole  average  being  only  two  to  the  square  mile.  A 
band  will  occasionally  keep  quite  still  for  several  days 
or  weeks.  But  the  rule  is  the  other  way. 

In  shooting  into  a  band  in  rough  or  brushy  ground 
you  are  very  apt  to  get  demoralized.  You  should 
shoot  just  as  deliberately  as  at  any  time,  not  hurry- 
ing in  the  least  because  you  see  other  deer  than  the 
one  you  are  shooting  at.  And,  above  all,  you  should 
keep  account  of  every  deer  struck,  whether  it  fell  or 


252  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

ran  off  and  which  way  it  ran,  etc.  Otherwise  you 
will  be  very  apt  to  lose  them.  Do  not  show  yourself 
until  through  shooting,  and  do  not  allow  yourself  to 
be  tempted  to  do  so  by  seeing  them  move  off.  Even 
if  they  go  off  running  you  had  better  not  show  your- 
self unless  you  can  make  a  cut-off. 

There  are  some  general  hints  that  apply  equally  to 
single  deer  and  banded  ones  which  may  as  well  be 
considered  here. 

In  going  after  a  particular  deer  or  band  of  deer 
you  need  not  listen  to  any  gabble  of  settlers,  herds- 
men, teamsters,  and  others  who  tell  you  they  always 
see  them  at  such  a  place,  see  them  there  every  day, 
etc.  etc.  etc.  The  fact  generally  is  that  they  see  them 
about  once  in  four  or  five  days  or  a  week,  which  is 
probably  as  often  as  the  man  goes  there,  and  which 
he  calls  "every  day."  This  is  just  about  the  time  it 
takes  them  to  return  to  that  part  of  the  range  when 
once  driven  away.  A  man  going  to  that  place  once 
in  five  or  six  days  will  generally  stand  the  same 
chance  of  seeing  the  deer  that  a  man  does  who  goes 
there  every  day.  You  should  generally  go  to  the 
place  toward  which  they  ran  if  you  go  within  two  or 
three  days  after  they  were  seen. 

When  deer  run  into  a  high  brushy  hill-side  and  dis- 
appear, wait  and  watch  for  several  minutes.  Even  a 
single  deer  is  liable  to  come  to  an  opening  and  stand 
a  minute  for  a  look,  and  some  one  of  a  band  is  very 
apt  to  do  so. 

If  you  are  near  a  water-hole  or  bit  of  choice  feeding- 
ground  and  see  a  deer's  head  and  neck  come  peering 
over  an  adjacent  ridge,  unless  you  are  sure  he  sees 
you  or  he  is  close  enough  for  a  sure  shot,  keep  per- 
fectly still.  This  is  very  apt  to  be  a  survey  for  danger 


DEER  IN  BANDS.     GENERAL   HINTS,    ETC.     W6 

before  coming  in  to  water  or  feed.  And  if  he  backs 
off  instead  of  coming  ahead  don't  be  in  too  much 
haste  to  go  after  him,  for  he  may  be  coming  around 
by  a  trail  or  down  the  next  ravine. 

Though  deer  can  go  without  water,  especially  when 
the  browse  is  wet  with  dews  or  fogs  or  rain,  yet  in  hot 
weather,  especially  in  the  dry  countries,  they  are  very 
fond  of  it.  Hence  if  you  can  find  the  only  water-hole  for 
a  long  distance,  and  camp  so  close  to  it  as  to  keep  the 
deer  away  from  it  for  a  night  or  two,  you  will  be  very 
apt  to  find  them  hanging  about  in  the  close  vicinity 
in  the  morning  waiting  for  a  chance  to  come  in.  This 
is  vastly  better  than  watching  the  water  all  night  and 
crippling  one  or  two  with  an  uncertain  shot,  or  pot- 
shooting  them  with  a  shot-gun.  I  have  never  tried 
it,  but  a  friend  of  mine,  who  is  otherwise  an  excellent 
hunter,  does  it  with  great  success,  and  considers  it 
almost  sure. 

Antelope  generally,  if  not  always,  water  by  day,  and 
cannot,  when  on  dry  feed  or  sun-cured  grass,  go  with- 
out water  as  long  as  deer  can.  But  much  more  care 
must  be  used  in  watching  for  them.  You  must  be 
better  hid  and  be  in  such  position  that  no  motion  is 
necessary  before  shooting.  If  you  cannot  hide,  the 
best  way  to  wait  for  either  deer  or  antelope  to  come 
close  enough  after  they  once  come  in  sight  is  to  lie 
fiat  on  your  face  or  back  and  not  move  a  muscle  until 
you  are  ready  to  shoot.  Then  if  they  are  certain  to 
see  you  anyhow,  jump  as  quickly  as  you  can.  But 
otherwise  move  slowly  and  make  no  noise,  as  you  may 
in  this  way  get  standing  shots  instead  of  only  running 
ones,  as  may  be  the  case  where  they  see  you  or  you 
have  to  move  quickly. 

When  game  has  once  seen  you  it  is  of  little  use  to 


254  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

drop  or  back  out  of  sight  and  try  to  sneak  around 
after  it.  It  is  quite  apt  to  leave  as  soon  as  you  get 
out  of  sight.  Even  the  little  cotton-tail  rabbit,  when 
at  all  wild,  has  an  idea  that  this  proceeding  means 
mischief,  and  both  deer  and  antelope  are  generally  so 
deeply  impressed  with  that  idea  that  in  such  case  you 
should  risk  a  much  longer  shot  than  when  the  game 
does  not  see  you.  If  too  far  off  and  you  have  a  com- 
panion at  hand,  leave  him  for  the  game  to  watch  while 
you  go  around. 

When  you  see  game  at  a  long  distance,  before  you 
start  off  to  make  a  detour  for  it  wait  long  enough  to 
find  out  what  it  is  doing.  It  may  see  you  and  leave 
as  above  shown,  and  if  it  is  to  leave  it  had  better  leave 
while  you  can  see  it  and  know  where  it  is  going,  etc. 
Or  it  may  be  feeding  on  a  course,  in  which  case  it  may 
be  best  to  first  learn  its  course.  Or  it  may  be  stand- 
ing around  preliminary  to  lying  down,  in  which  case 
you  have  plenty  of  time  and  will  be  quite  certain  of  a 
shot.  Or  it  may  be  merely  stopping  an  instant  on  a 
long  walk,  in  which  case  you  do  not  want  to  sneak  on 
the  vacant  place,  but  want  to  know  where  it  is  going. 

Of  the  many  idle  theories  among  hunters  about 
deer  there  is  one  that  demands  some  attention  because 
there  is  really  some  truth  in  it,  or,  rather,  it  is  truth 
wrongly  stated.  This  is  what  is  called  the  "  moon 
theory."  It  is  stated  in  various  ways,  but  the  sub- 
stance of  it  is  that  when  the  moon  is  above  the  hori- 
zon during  the  day  and  when  it  is  directly  opposite 
the  zenith  deer  are  on  foot  feeding,  etc.  When  the 
moon  is  above  the  horizon  during  most  of  the  day  it 
is  not  much  above  it  during  the  night.  If  in  the  last 
quarter  or  in  the  first  quarter,  it  is  above  the  horizon 
more  during  the  day  than  at  night.  Consequently  so 


DEER  IN  BANDS.     GENERAL  HINTS,   ETC.     355 

much  of  the  night  is  dark  that  the  deer  do  much  less 
roaming  then  than  about  the  full  moon,  when  it  is 
light  all  night.  The  more  roaming  they  do  at  night 
the  less  they  do  by  day  or,  rather,  in  the  first  half  of 
the  day.  But  deer  are  generally  on  foot  about  as 
early  in  the  afternoon  during  full  moon  as  at  any 
other  time,  and  often  earlier,  because  they  lie  down  so 
much  earlier  in  the  morning.  Now  if  the  moon  is  in 
the  first  or  second  quarter  it  will  be  above  the  horizon 
only  in  the  early  part  of  the  night.  The  latter  half  of 
the  night  being  dark  the  deer  will  feed  more  after 
daylight,  at  which  time  the  moon  will  generally  be 
somewhere  about  our  antipodes  or  opposite  the  zenith. 
So  when  the  moon  is  in  the  last  quarter  it  will  be  still 
above  the  western  horizon  about  the  time  the  deer, 
having  lain  down  early  in  the  morning,  rise  again  to 
feed  in  the  afternoon.  The  whole  of  which  amounts 
to  this,  that  the  lighter  the  night  the  longer  the  deer 
will  roam  at  night,  and  the  more  they  move  at  night 
the  less  they  will  move  in  the  first  half  of  the  day. 

Beware  of  selling  out  future  chances  too  cheap. 
Suppose  you  are  camped  at  a  certain  place  and 
toward  evening  find  fresh  tracks  leading  into  a  nice 
little  brushy  basin  or  valley  or  some  place  that  you 
cannot  hunt  to  advantage  before  dark  or  on  account 
of  the  wind  or  other  cause.  Should  you  go  after  the 
game  and  start  it  the  chances  may  be  all  against  your 
getting  even  a  running  shot.  And  it  may  run  a  mile 
or  more,  so  that  it  would  take  you  all  next  day  to  find 
it.  It  may  in  such  case  be  better  to  leave  the  game 
alone  that  night  and  be  there  at  daylight  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  same  may  be  the  case  with  a  band  or  a  sin- 
gle deer  that  you  actually  see.  If  it  is  too  far  off  or 
too  dark  to  shoot  to  advantage  your  chances  may  be 


256  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

bettered  by  leaving  the  game  undisturbed  until  day- 
light. 

When  hunting  you  may  often  be  puzzled  in  high 
mountains  by  finding  on  top  of  the  ridges  plenty  of 
tracks  and  trails  running  in  all  directions,  with  plenty 
of  beds,  droppings,  etc.  Yet  with  your  utmost  care 
you  will  not  discover  a  deer.  This  is  quite  apt  to  be 
the  case  where  the  ridge  is  much  less  than  five  hun- 
dred yards  or  so  in  width,  and  often  so  when  it  is  even 
wider  than  that.  The  reason  is  that  the  deer  are  on 
the  ridge  only  at  night,  using  it  mainly  to  cross  from 
side  to  side,  spending  nearly  all  the  daylight  down  the 
slopes  and  ravines  far  below  the  top.  Where  these 
slopes  and  the  sides  of  the  ravines  are  very  steep  such 
ground  is  hardly  worth  hunting,  as  it  is  too  much 
work  to  get  a  dead  deer  out  of  them.  The  best  moun- 
tain-hunting is  in  the  valleys  or  basins  or  along  gentle 
slopes  and  ridges. 

The  noises  made  by  a  deer  are  of  little  importance. 
The  bleat  is  much  like  that  of  a  sheep,  but  generally 
shorter.  The  snort  is  a  hollow  whistling  "  phew" 
often  long  drawn.  You  will  quickly  enough  know 
either  one  the  first  time  you  hear  it.  The  cry  of  the 
fawns  and  their  mothers'  call  the  hunter  has  no  busi- 
ness to  know  anything  about. 

Of  slight  importance  are  the  distinctive  colors  of 
the  deer's  coat,  "the  red  coat,"  "the  blue,"  "the 
gray,"  etc.  You  must  watch  all  colors  at  all  times, 
for  a  deer  may  show  any  one  of  these  shades  at  almost 
any  time  according  to  the  part  you  see  of  him  and  the 
way  the  light  strikes  it,  etc.  etc.  The  blue  and  gray 
coat  are  always  the  same  as  far  as  hunting  is  con- 
cerned; for  nothing  from  light  gray  to  black  can  be 
neglected.  Red  is  the  summer  coat;  the  others  the 


DEER  IN  BANDS.     GENERAL   HINTS,    ETC.     257 

fall  and  winter  coats.  In  the  mule-deer  of  California 
the  red  is  often  a  dirty  yellow  or  ocher  color. 

When  in  timber,  especially  timber  with  low-hang- 
ing branches,  do  not  forget  that  a  deer  can  see  your 
legs  and  leave  before  you  can  see  anything  of  him. 
You  must  stoop  frequently  in  such  ground.  The 
same  is  the  case  in  descending  a  tree-covered  hill  into 
a  valley  or  basin.  If  you  have  any  reason  to  believe 
there  is  game  in  it,  enter  it  if  possible  from  the  lowest 
point  you  can  find.  And  in  general,  when  hunting  a 
valley  with  sloping  sides  clad  with  timber,  keep  in  the 
lowest  part  of  it  (a  creek-bed  or  other  depression  if 
possible)  that  will  give  you  the  best  view  beneath  the 
trees. 

It  may  sometimes  be  best  to  purposely  give  deer 
your  wind;  as  where  they  are  lying  in  a  basin  or 
windfall  and  will  have  to  run  up  hill,  and  it  would  be 
too  long  a  shot  for  you  if  you  should  keep  on  one 
hill-side  and  try  to  start  them  by  sight  of  you  or  by 
noise,  in  which  case  they  would  be  certain  to  run  up 
the  opposite  side.  And  even  when  deer  are  on  foot 
the  formation  of  the  ground  may  be  such  that  your 
chances  of  hitting  one  running  up  the  side  while  you 
are  in  the  center  would  be  better  than  the  chances  of 
getting  a  good  standing  shot  from  either  side. 

Should  you  see  cattle  or  horses  on  your  hunting- 
ground  be  careful  not  to  alarm  them,  as  they  will  be 
npt  to  stampede  all  game  within  hearing  of  their 
hoofs.  No  other  animals,  nor  even  birds,  should  be 
unnecessarily  alarmed  when  game  is  near.  Both  deer 
and  antelope  know  what  alarm  of  other  animals 
means. 


258  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TO    MANAGE    A    DEER    WHEN    HIT. 

THE  popular  idea  of  the  effect  of  a  bullet  upon  a 
deer  or  antelope  is  about  like  a  woman's  idea  of  the 
effect  of  shooting  in  general;  viz.,  instantaneous  death 
of  the  thing  shot  at.  Few  persons  who  have  not 
tried  it  would  ever  dream  that  after  hours  of  pa- 
tient toil,  and  a  shot  fired  with  perfect  coolness  and 
accuracy,  the  glossy  prize  that  you  just  now  so  fondly 
imagined  yours  beyond  a  doubt  may  be  suddenly 
resolved  into  the  most  slippery  intangibility  on  earth, 
and  that  the  hunt  instead  of  ending  has  in  reality  only 
commenced.  Yet  such  with  wild  deer  is  the  case 
about  one  third  of  the  time,  and  on  open  ground, 
where  longer  shots  must  be  taken  than  in  the  woods, 
it  may  be  so  quite  as  often  even  with  pretty  tame 
deer. 

This  provoking  feature  is,  moreover,  becoming  more 
and  more  common.  Time  was  in  all  the  States  of  the 
Union  when  a  good  cool  shot  armed  with  a  rifle  shoot- 
ing a  bullet  scarcely  larger  than  a  pea  could  shoot  a 
hundred  deer  in  succession  without  ten  of  them  run- 
ning over  two  hundred  yards  before  falling  dead. 
And  these  ten  would  not  go  over  four  hundred  or 
five  hundred  yards.  And  the  greater  number  would 
fall  either  in  their  tracks  or  in  sight  of  the  hunter. 
The  reason  of  this  is  as  simple  as  anything  in  the 
world.  Deer  were  then  so  tame  that  the  great  majority 


TO  MANAGE  A    DEER    WHEN  HIT.  259 

would  either  stand  and  look  at  the  hunter  without 
running  at  all,  or  if  they  did  run  would  go  only  a  few 
yards  and  stop.  The  greater  number  would  stand 
broadside  to  the  hunter  inside  of  seventy  yards'  dis- 
tance; the  hunter  was  a  cool  deliberate  shot;  the  rifle 
was  perfect  in  its  accuracy  to  that  distance;  and 
therefore  the  balf  was  always,  like  the  stock  of  the 
Credit  Mobilier,  "  pfaced  where  it  would  do  the  most 
good."  And  deer  were  then  so  plenty  that  the  hunter 
was  sure  of  one  or  more  such  shots  in  a  very  short 
time.  So  easy  was  it  then  to  pick  such  shots  that  the 
old-time  hunter  rarely  thought  of  such  a  thing  as 
shooting  at  a  deer  much  beyond  a  hundred  yards,  or 
at  one  running,  or  at  one  that  showed  only  the  rear 
half  of  his  body.  He  nearly  always  waited  for  a  sure 
shot  at  the  point  of  the  shoulder  or  just  behind  it, 
reaching  the  heart  almost  invariably;  though  he 
often  shot  deer  in  the  head. 

But  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  that  day  is 
past.  There  are  yet  a  few  places  where  deer  are  still 
tame.  But  the  deer  of  the  period  is  not  an  animal  in 
which  a  ball  can  be  placed  where  you  wish  to  place  it. 
And  the  antelope  of  the  period  is  still  less  so,  as  he 
must  be  shot  at  longer  distances,  and  on  more  or  less 
windy  plains  that  affect  the  aim  of  the  hunter  and  the 
flight  of  the  ball.  Not  only  are  the  wildest  regions  of 
our  country  now  penetrated  by  hunters,  but  since  the 
general  use  of  breech-loading  rifles — many  of  them 
poor  ones,  many  of  the  best  ones  being  kept  so  dirty 
and  rusty  that  they  will  hit  nothing,  all  of  them  tend- 
ing by  their  rapidity  of  fire  to  make  careless  shooting 
the  rule — there  is  five  times  the  amount  of  shooting  at 
and  scaring  game  that  there  used  to  be  from  an  equal 
number  of  hunters  carrying  rifles  that  never  threw 


260  THE   STILL-HUNTER, 

"  a  wild  ball,"  and  that  were  so  slow  to  load  that  every 
shot  was  fired  as  if  it  were  the  last  ball  within  fifty 
miles. 

For  these  reasons  the  deer  and  antelope  of  the  pe- 
riod are  vastly  different  animals  from  those  that  used 
to  pose  in  sculpturesque  attitudes  about  fifty  yards 
away  from  Daniel  Boone,  David  Crockett,  and  others. 
One  third  of  them  must  be  shot  at,  at  distances  that 
the  old-time  hunter  would  have  considered  too  far. 
And  here  I  refer  not  to  what  are  considered  long-range 
distances,  such  as  three  hundred  to  six  hundred 
yards,  but  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
yards;  distances  at  which  the  old-time  hunter  passed 
scornfully  by  the  biggest  old  buck  with  the  feeling  of 
full  confidence  of  soon  seeing  another  at  less  than  half 
that  distance.  Another  third  of  them  must  be  now 
shot  while  running;  a  shot  that  the  old-time  hunter 
with  his  long  heavy  rifle,  with  its  long-horned  nui- 
sance of  a  crescent-shaped  scoop  in  the  butt,  with  its 
hammer  invariably  upon  the  cap,  and  its  trigger — that 
could  not  be  pulled  without  setting  it — unset,  rarely 
thought  of  even  attempting.  The  other  third  still 
present  good  shots  and  may  be  nearly  always  killed  in 
their  tracks  or  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  place 
where  struck. 

When  we  come  to  analyze  rifle-shooting  you  will 
conclude  that  I  tell  the  exact  truth  when  1  assert,  as  I 
do  most  positively,  that  the  man  who  talks  of  placing 
a  ball  where  he  wishes  to  place  it  in  a  running  deer  or 
antelope  at  any  distance,  or  at  one  standing  beyond  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  is  either  an  ignoramus  or  a 
braggart  who  takes  his  listener  for  a  bigger  fool  than 
he  is  himself.  I  draw  the  following  principles  not 
from  my  own  experience  only,  but  from  that  of  the 


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TO  MANAGE  A   DEER    WHEN  HIT.  *6l 

very  best  shots  I  have  ever  seen,  men  whom  I  believe 
it  almost  impossible  to  excel;  and  when  we  come  to 
analyze  shooting  I  will  try  to  prove  them  from  indis- 
putable principles: 

ist.  To  hit  a  running  deer  in  any  part  o>i  the  body  at 
any  distance  is  a  first-class  shot. 

2d.  To  hit  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  anywhere 
within  ten  inches  of  the  center  of  the  shoulder  of  a 
standing  deer  or  antelope,  or  strike  the  body  any- 
where at  two  hundred  yards,  is  a  first-class  shot. 

3d.  To  hit  a  deer  at  all  at  a  hundred  yards  when 
you  can  see  only  part  of  it  in  brush  or  among  trees 
is  a  first-class  shot. 

4th.  To  hit  one  in  the  vitals  at  only  sixty  yards 
when  it  shows  only  a  small  spot  of  dull  color  in  dark 
heavy  timber  is  a  first-class  shot. 

It  being  now  impossible  to  hit  the  majority  of  deer 
or  antelope  where  you  wish,  let  us  consider  the  effect 
of  bullets  upon  different  parts  of  the  body,  and  the 
vitality  of  the  animals  after  being  struck.  I  speak 
now  only  of  the  ball  in  common  use,  a  solid  ball  of 
about  forty-five  hundredths  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
quite  long  and  generally  hardened  with  tin. 

A  shot  in  the  head  or  spinal  column  will  drop  a 
deer  in  his  tracks.  A  shot  through  the  kidneys  or  in 
the  rectum  will  nearly  always  do  the  same.  A  shot 
anywhere  in  a  circle  of  six  inches  around  the  point  of 
the  shoulder  will  often  drop  a  deer  at  once,  but  is 
much  more  likely  to  let  him  run  from  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred yards,  and  sometimes  half  a  mile  or  more.  Shot 
above  the  center  of  the  shoulders  or  in  the  brisket  only 
a  deer  may  run  for  miles.  Shot  anywhere  between 
five  inches  back  of  the  shoulder  and  the  hams  a  deer 
may  run  all  day  if  kept  going.  Shot  in  the  haunch 


262  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  deer  may  run  all  day,  depending  upon  the  veins, 
bones,  etc.,  that  are  touched  by  the  ball.  A  deer  with 
a  hind-leg  broken  can  with  ease  keep  clear  of  a  man 
all  day,  and  with  only  a  fore-leg  broken  can  often  run 
away  from  a  dog,  unless  the  dog  be  a  pretty  good  one. 
The  worst  of  all  shots  and  the  most  common  one  in  all 
shooting  at  long  standing  shots  and  at  game  running 
crosswise  is  what  is  called  the  "paunch-shot."  Every 
shot  from  the  fifth  rib  to  the  hip-joint — nearly  half 
the  body  of  the  animal — may  be  practically  regarded 
as  a  "paunch-shot."  A  deer  or  antelope  can  run  for 
miles  when  thus  shot,  and  I  have  seen  a  yearling  buck 
shot  through  the  center  with  an  ounce  round  ball 
(solid)  run  away  from  a  common  dog,  and  escape  on  a 
fair  race  of  over  half  a  mile.  And  this,  too,  on  quite 
open  ground  where  the  dog  had  a  full  view  of  the 
deer  and  lost  no  time  in  hunting  the  scent.  An  ante- 
lope is  quite  as  tough  as,  if  not  often  tougher  than,  a 
deer,  and  the  expedition  of  either  animal  in  getting 
away  when  half  shot  to  pieces  is  often  amazing. 

It  is  common  to  hear  people  talk  as  if  it  were  only 
necessary  to  let  a  wounded  deer  alone  and  it  will  lie 
down  and  either  die  or  get  sick.  This  is  true  enough 
if  it  be  badly  wounded  and  time  enough  be  allowed 
it.  But  when  will  it  be  so  sick  that  it  will  cease  to 
watch  upon  its  back  track  and  either  run  away  before 
you  get  within  shot  at  all  or  go  plunging  through 
brush  at  your  approach  and  give  you  a  poor  running 
shot  ?  Of  course  "  it  is  only  a  question  of  time;"  but 
you  will  find  that  sweetly  delusive  formula  very  poor 
consolation  when  night  closes  in  upon  you  and  you 
wish  to  go  somewhere  else  in  the  morning,  when  fall- 
ing snow  covers  the  bloody  trail,  when  it  leads  into 
heavy  windfalls  or  brush,  and  on  bare  ground  when 


TO  MANAGE  A    DEER    WHEN  HIT.  263 

the  blood  ceases  to  flow  and  the  cripple  settles  to  a 
walk  on  ground  where  tracking  is  hard.  For  the 
tracking  of  a  wounded  deer  is  very  different  from  that 
of  a  well  one.  You  can  tell  very  nearly  where  a  well 
one  will  go,  and  without  this  knowledge  tracking  on 
bare  ground  is  often  impracticable.  But  you  cannot 
count  upon  the  movements  of  a  wounded  deer,  except 
that  generally  he  will  run  to  the  roughest  and  most 
brushy  ground  there  is  within  reach.  The  number  of 
deer  lost  on  bare  ground  by  the  best  of  trackers  and 
good  shots  is  almost  incredible  to  those  who  have  not 
hunted  and  associated  much  with  them.  And  even 
on  snow  many  are  lost. 

One  means  of  remedying  this  loss  of  game — the 
use  of  a  rifle-ball  that  will  effectually  stop  anything 
struck  anywhere  in  the  body — I  shall  point  out  in  a 
subsequent  chapter.  But  no  rifle  will  kill  a  deer  at 
once  by  hitting  a  leg  unless  very  high  up;  and  there- 
fore every  hunter  who  can  should  have  a  good  dog  at 
his  heels. 

A  really  good  dog  to  overtake  and  stop  a  wounded 
deer  is  hard  to  get,  and  harder  still  to  keep.  There  are 
enough  that  can  do  it,  but  they  will  spoil  more  shots 
for  you  than  they  save  deer.  Little  or  no  training  is 
required,  as  a  dog  that  is  at  all  fit  for  the  purpose  will 
take  to  it  naturally.  But  he  should  be  trained  and 
kept  in  absolute  obedience  about  remaining  behind 
until  sent  out,  even  though  a  wounded  deer  be  escap- 
ing before  his  eyes.  As  such  dogs  have  generally 
more  or  less  of  some  headstrong  and  intractable  blood 
in  their  composition  this  is  no  easy  matter  to  do;  and 
as  the  average  hunter  is  always  in  agony  when  he 
sees  anything  toothsome  escaping,  and  is  always  blind 
to  the  fact  that  a  dog  can  follow  a  trail  in  one  or  two 


264  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

minutes  just  as  well  as  instantly,  the  average  deer-dog 
of  the  period,  like  the  retriever  of  the  average  hunter 
with  the  shot-gun,  always  starts  like  a  rocket  at  the 
report  of  the  gun.  And  having  learned  this,  the  next 
step  in  his  education  quite  naturally  follows;  namely, 
running  in  without  waiting  for  you  to  shoot. 

The  first  thing  to  do  when  a  deer  is  wounded  is 
generally  to  do  nothing.  If  he  runs  in  a  direction 
where  you  can  head  him  off  and  get  another  shot,  it 
is  generally  advisable  to  do  so;  but  if  he  has  not  seen 
you,  and  you  have  to  run  so  that  he  will  see  you,  you 
had  better  not  show  yourself  at  all  unless  he  is  mak- 
ing for  thick  brush  and  you  can  get  another  shot  at 
him  before  he  reaches  it.  It  is  generally  far  better  to 
drop  quietly  out  of  sight  and  watch  him. 

The  action  of  a  deer  when  wounded  depends  largely 
upon  where  he  is  hit,  but  mainly  upon  whether  he  has 
seen  you  or  not,  and  also  upon  his  wildness.  If  not 
very  wild,  and  he  has  not  yet  seen  you,  he  will  gener- 
ally take  a  few  jumps,  perhaps  not  more  than  one  or 
two,  then  walk  a  few  yards,  stand  still  a  while  and  look 
around,  and  then  lie  down.  If  he  has  seen  you,  or 
knows  pretty  well  what  the  crack  of  a  gun  means,  he 
may  run  several  hundred  yards  before  stopping,  and 
then,  after  taking  several  backward  looks  and  walking 
a  little,  will  lie  down.  If  jumped  and  shot  on  the 
run,  he  will  probably  run  much  farther  than  if  shot 
when  standing  and  suspecting  no  danger.  If  near 
brush  or  rough  ground,  a  deer  will  be  quite  apt  to 
make  for  it  if  he  sees  you,  and  so  certain  to  if  pursued 
that  if  you  cannot  make  a  good  cut-off  your  only 
chance  of  keeping  him  from  the  brush  is  to  let  him 
entirely  alone ;  he  may  then  lie  down  before  he 
reaches  it.  A  deer  only  leo:-broken  will  travel  much 


TO  MANAGE  A    DEER    WHEN  HIT.  #05 

farther  before  lying  down  than  if  hit  in  the  body,  and 
will  generally  stand  up  longer  under  a  paunch-shot 
than  under  any  other  shot  in  the  body,  though,  if  let 
alone,  will  soon  lie  down  with  this.  Sometimes  deer 
will  start  off  on  a  walk  and  go  a  mile  or  so  to  brush 
without  stopping,  and  sometimes  will  plunge  ahead 
on  a  full  run  until  they  fall  either  stone  dead  or  from 
sheer  exhaustion. 

It  would  be  of  no  use  to  waste  further  space  in  de- 
tailing specifically  the  various  maneuvers  of  a  wound- 
ed deer,  for  those  above  given  include  nearly  all  kinds, 
and  the  same  general  plan  of  handling  must  be  fol- 
lowed in  all  cases.  And  this  is — 

i  st.  No  matter  how  sick  the  deer  may  appear  to  be, 
no  matter  how  he  staggers,  bleeds,  or  looks  like  drop- 
ping immediately,  shoot  at  him  just  as  long  as  he 
stands  up.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  spoiling  meat  or  hide, 
for  as  long  as  he  can  keep  afoot  you  are  in  danger  of 
losing  both,  or  having  a  troublesome  time  to  get  them. 
Do  the  same  when  he  is  down,  if  he  can  hold  up  his 
head  or  his  eyes  are  bright,  unless  his  back  is  broken. 

2d.  If  he  goes  off,  let  him  go  (unless,  as  before 
stated,  you  can  head  off  or  flank  him),  and  for  several 
hours  do  nothing  to  disturb  him.  If  it  is  near  night 
you  had  better  let  him  go  until  next  morning.  If  he 
is  badly  hurt  he  will  probably  never  rise  after  lying 
down  a  while,  and  at  all  events  is  likely  to  get  so  sick 
and  stiff  as  to  be  quite  easy  of  approach.  But  if  fol- 
lowed up  at  once  he  will  be  watching,  and  unless  very 
much  hurt  will  be  too  keen  and  too  lively  for  you. 

3d.  On  taking  his  track  to  follow  him  up,  proceed 
just  as  you  would  on  a  well  deer,  and  don't  go  blun- 
dering and  thrashing  carelessly  along  because  you  see 
blood  or  signs  of  stumbling  or  staggering.  If  you 


266  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

find  the  blood  increasing  on  the  trail  you  may  expect 
to  find  him  dead,  or  very  nearly  so.  But  if  it  is  de- 
creasing it  may  need  all  your  care  to  secure  him. 

Most  of  this  caution  is  often  needless,  especially  on 
snow  and  with  a  rifle  of  large  caliber.  But  I  have 
given  it  on  the  plan  I  have  followed  throughout — 
giving  best  and  surest  methods.  You  will  rarely  lose 
one  by  following  too  closely  these  rules,  though  they 
may  of  course  sometimes  cause  you  unnecessary  delay. 
Where  falling  snow  will  hide  the  track,  your  only 
chance  is  often  to  follow  at  once. 

Excited  by  the  sight  of  blood  and  signs  of  stumb- 
ling, burning  with  anxiety  to  retrieve  the  game,  and 
impatient  of  any  delay,  one  is  almost  certain  at  first 
to  rush  ahead  after  a  crippled  deer.  But  you  must 
remember  that  (except  heading,  etc.)  all  means  of 
pursuit,  the  trail,  the  blood,  etc.,  if  any,  will  generally 
be  just  as  available  in  four  or  six  hours,  perhaps  even 
the  next  day,  as  they  are  right  after  shooting.  By 
waiting  you  generally  lose  nothing.  By  not  waiting 
you  may  lose  all. 

Nor  is  it  always  advisable  to  slip  a  dog  at  once,  if 
you  have  one  by  you.  For  the  sake  of  keeping  him 
in  good  habits,  he  should  never  be  allowed  to  start 
from  your  side  for  a  moment  or  two,  or  until  you  give 
the  word.  And  even  then  it  is  not  always  best  to  let 
him  go  until  you  get  some  idea  of  how  the  deer  is 
wounded,  and  how  far  he  will  run.  If  he  is  likely  to 
lie  down  soon  it  may  be  folly  to  slip  your  dog;  for  a 
deer  that  would  lie  down  in  two  minutes  and  never 
get  up  if  left  alone  may  run  for  miles  if  kept  going, 
and  even  if  your  dog  be  swift  and  sure  he  may  run 
the  deer  into  thick  brush  or  some  bad  ground  where 
it  will  bother  you  to  get  him  out.  Moreover,  the 


TO  MANAGE  A    DEER    WHEN  HIT.  267 

flesh  may  be  badly  bloodshot  or  the  contents  of  the 
intestines  worked  all  through  the  interior  by  a  chase. 
But  if  a  deer  is  only  leg-broken,  as  a  rule  the  sooner 
you  let  out  your  dog  the  better,  for  it  is  likely  to  be  a 
long  chase,  and  the  deer  should  have  as  little  start  as 
possible. 

On  falling  snow  when  you  have  no  dog,  and  there 
is  danger  of  the  track  getting  covered  or  confused 
with  other  tracks,  you  may  perhaps  overtake  and  get 
another  shot  at  a  deer  by  a  stern-chase  yourself.  This 
is  a  job,  however,  which  I  would  recommend  you  to 
sublet  before  you  commence,  as  it  is  very  exhausting 
and  vexatious.  A  wounded  deer,  if  not  too  badly 
hurt,  will  watch  back,  and  will  be  quite  sure  to  see 
you  first,  and  if  kept  going  can  run  well. 

It  is  far  better,  even  in  falling  snow,  to  wait  a 
little  while,  and  when  you  get  in  sight  of  a  place 
where  the  cripple  is  likely  to  stop  go  around  and 
come  in  from  one  side  or  behind,  as  in  tracking  a 
wild  well  one. 

I  once  saw  a  big  strong  man  who  was  hunting 
quails  beside  me  drop  like  a  sledge-struck  ox  at  the 
report  of  a  comrade's  gun  some  ninety  yards  behind 
us  in  the  brush,  clap  his  hand  to  his  head,  and  ex- 
claim in  agony,  "  O  my  God!"  He  still  lives,  in 
Monmouth  County,  New  Jersey;  for  the  only  wound 
we  could  find  on  him  was  a  grain  of  No.  8  shot  in 
the  lobe  of  one  ear,  which  our  comrade  who  did  the 
mischief,  now  a  prominent  lawyer  in  Jersey  City, 
picked  out  with  the  point  of  his  pen-knife.  Other 
men  shot  half  to  pieces  have  fought  like  tigers  or  run 
like  deer  a  long  while  before  they  fairly  knew  they 
were  hit.  Individuals  among  deer  and  antelope  dif- 
fer about  the  same  way  in  vitality.  I  have  seen  a  big 


268  THE   STILL-HUNTER, 

buck  drop  in  his  tracks  and  lie  there  with  the  same 
bullet-hole  in  the  same,  place  that  another  and  smaller 
deer  has  carried  for  miles  without  falling.  And  I 
have  seen  an  old  buck  antelope  run  ninety  yards  on 
as  beautiful  and  almost  as  swift  a  trot  as  St.  Julien 
ever  made  on  the  race-track,  with  both  heart  and  lungs 
cut  into  perfect  pulp  by  a  .65  expansive  ball  with  two 
hundred  grains  of  powder  behind  it,  and  which  would 
probably  make  the  next  one  wilt  like  a  wet  rag  in  its 
tracks.  Therefore  if  you  happen  to  kill  your  first  half- 
dozen  or  even  dozen  deer  in  their  tracks  or  in  your 
sight,  do  not  delude  yourself  with  the  idea  that  there 
is  no  danger  of  deer  escaping  your  rifle,  but  always 
use  the  same  care  above  advised. 

If  a  deer  runs  any  distance  and  then  falls  he  is 
pretty  sure  to  be  dead.  But  be  sure  that  he /#//>,  for 
if  he  runs  and  lies  down  it  may  need  all  your  care  to 
get  him.  If  he  falls  at  the  report  of  the  gun  and 
then  gets  up  and  runs  it  generally  means  hard  work 
and  care  to  bag  him.  Therefore  it  is  best  always 
when  a  deer  drops  at  once  to  run  directly  to  him  if 
there  are  no  other  deer  at  hand.  •  Especially  do  you 
need  to  run  if  he  struggles  to  get  up,  even  though  he 
fails  ;  for  a  deer  often  recovers  himself  for  a  while, 
even  when  mortally  wounded,  being  badly  stunned  at 
first,  then  getting  over  that  and  getting  away  to  die 
afterward.  But  do  not  let  a  deer  see  you  running  to 
him  if  you  can  help  it,  and  if  near  enough  always  give 
a  struggling  one  another  shot  without  going  up  to  it, 
as  the  sight  of  you  often  revives  one  wonderfully. 

How  to  manage  a  deer  when  killed  is  a  matter  in 
which  your  natural  tact,  as  well  as  information  from 
any  woodsman,  hunter,  or  settler,  will  serve  you  suf- 
iicientlv  well  that  for  brevitv  I  shall  omit  the  most  of 


TO  MANAGE  A    DEER    WHEN  HIT.  269 

what  I  could  say  about  it,  and  by  the  time  you  have 
killed  a  few  deer  you  will  readily  pardon  me  for  spend- 
ing most  of  my  time  in  telling  you  how  to  shoot  one 
instead  of  what  to  do  with  it  after  being  shot. 

Nevertheless  there  are  just  a  few  points  that  I  will 
mention  by  way  of  saving  you  needless  work. 

It  is  considered  style  to  charge  on  a  fallen  deer  with 
a  "  hunting-knife"  and  "  cut  its  throat."  All  the  hunt- 
ing-knife you  need  is  a  common  round-pointed  jack- 
knife.  Everything  else  is  a  nuisance  except  as  a 
butcher-knife  or  cleaver  at  camp.  If  the  deer  is  not 
dead,  finish  him  with  a  ball  in  the  head,  and  let  his 
throat  alone  or  you  may  get  in  sudden  trouble.  If 
he  is  dead  his  throat  needs  no  cutting,  as  a  dead  ani- 
mal bleeds  only  a  trifle  from  the  throat.  If  you  mean 
to  open  him  at  once  you  can  give  him  no  better  bleed- 
ing than  opening.  If  you  wish  to  run  on  for  another 
deer,  stick  the  dead  one  in  the  chest  and  turn  him 
with  head  down  hill. 

Covering  up  a  deer  with  brush,  snow,  etc.,  especially 
if  you  leave  some  article  of  clothing  upon  it,  will 
protect  it  from  all  animals  and  birds  about  as  well  as 
hanging  up,  unless  you  hang  it  very  high.  And  this 
latter  is  no  easy  thing  for  one  person  to  do,  unless  he 
packs  a  hatchet  to  cut  forked  sticks  with  large  enough 
to  prop  up  a  good  sapling.  But  with  two  such  sticks, 
one  being  longer  than  the  other,  a  bent  sapling  with 
a  deer  fastened  to  it  can,  by  working  them  alternately, 
be  run  up  quite  high.  Hanging  by  the  head  protects 
from  birds  but  exposes  the  hams  to  animals,  and  vice 
versa.  The  inner  bark  of  the  basswood  makes  good 
rope,  but  the  skin  of  the  lower  part  of  the  deer's  legs 
cut  in  strips  is  better  and  easier  to  get.  This  is  also 
good  to  tie  a  deer  to  the  rings  of  the  saddle-girth. 


270  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

The  best  way  to  get  one  home  if  you  cannot  reach 
it  with  a  wagon  is  on  a  horse.  Lay  it  behind  the  sad- 
dle and  lash  firmly  to  the  girth  rings  or  buckles;  or  it 
may  be  tied  to  his  tail  and  dragged.  A  deer  may  be 
dragged  very  easily  on  snow,  dead  leaves,  or  dry  grass 
by  being  pulled  head  first;  and  by  throwing  away 
neck  and  head,  skinning  and  cutting  up  the  fore- 
quarters  and  packing  them  in  their  skin,  fastening 
the  edges  of  the  skin  together  by  running  a  string 
through  holes  in  each,  the  whole  thing  may  be  made 
into  quite  a  nice  sledge.  But  in  very  bad  ground  the 
best  way  to  get  a  deer  out  is  to  let  him  take  himself 
out.  I  have  let  many  a  one  go  unshot  at  in  such 
places.  It  is  a  far  greater  thing  to  boast  of  than  to 
bring  out  the  saddles  or  a  hind-quarter,  leaving  the 
rest  to  waste. 


THE  RIFLE   ON  GAME  AT  REST.  271 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

THE    RIFLE    ON    GAME    AT    REST. 

THE  great  difficulty  in  killing  any  sort  of  game  with 
a  single  ball  is  that  a  miss  is  as  good  as  a  mile.  To 
remedy  this  the  scattering  principle  of  the  shot-gun 
was  introduced.  And  the  success  of  this  depends 
upon  a  principle  directly  opposite  to  the  fundamental 
principle  of  the  rifle;  to  wit,  that  a  miss  is  as  good  as  a 
hit.  That  is,  the  true  center  of  the  charge  never  need 
exactly  cover  the  game.  And  as  a  matter  of  fact  it 
probably  does  not  once  in  a  hundred  times,  even  when 
the  gun  is  the  hands  of  the  very  best  shots. 

The  consequence  of  this  is  that  the  same  aim  that 
with  a  shot-gun  would  suffice  to  kill  a  thousand  suc- 
cessive pigeons  at  twenty  yards  would  not  suffice  to 
even  touch  one  out  of  a  thousand  at  twenty  yards 
with  a  rifle-ball. 

This  fact  is  soon  learned  by  a  little  target-practice 
with  the  rifle.  The  beginner  finds  that  mere  ap- 
proximation, however  near,  will  not  do.  Absolute 
accuracy  only  will  suffice.  But  the  beginner  when  he 
becomes  a  skilled  target-shot  finds  when  he  first  tries 
his  rifle  on  game  that  the  difference  between  shooting  at 
game  and  at  a  target  is  as  antipodal  as  the  poles  of  the 
universe.  The  confidence  with  which  he  sets  out  to 
hunt  is  soon  engulfed  in  amazement  at  the  almost 
unappeasable  appetite  that  lead  exhibits  for  empty 
space.  And  this  is  the  case  upon  any  game.  I  have 


272  THE   STILL-HUXTER. 

seen  a  friend  who  could  cut  the  spots  of  a  playing- 
card  at  twenty  yards  almost  without  fail  for  a  long 
series  of  shots  miss  almost  every  shot  at  the  heads  of 
squirrels  in  trees  not  twenty  yards  high.  And  this  was 
not  because  of  excitement,  but  from  causes  I  shall 
hereafter  mention,  such  as  overshooting,  varying 
play  of  light  on  sights,  dimness  of  marks,  etc. 

The  insatiable  appetite  of  lead  for  circumambient 
space  becomes  still  more  marvelous  when  it  is  fired 
at  large  game.  Fire  twenty  shots  at  a  target  as  care- 
lessly as  you  please  with  a  shot-gun,  and  you  will 
find  about  every  load  scattered  quite  evenly  around 
the  bull's-eye.  You  may  of  course  notice  that  the 
bull's-eye  is  not  exactly  in  the  center;  but  it  is  so  nearly 
so  that  if  the  charge  of  shot  had  been  a  solid  mass  it 
would  have  hit  every  time  within  two  or  three  inches 
of  the  center.  This  is,  however,  more  apparent  than 
real.  Now  what  could  be  more  reasonable  than  to 
suppose  that  the  same  aim  with  a  rifle  at  a  deer  at 
fifty  or  sixty  yards  would  surely  hit  him  somewhere  ? 
The  rifle  is  far  more  accurately  sighted  than  a  shot- 
gun; it  shoots  far  more  accurately;  you  look  at  the 
sights  and  see  them  plainly  on  the  body  of  the  ani- 
mal; there  is  a  margin  of  ten  or  twelve  inches  for 
possible  error;  a  clear  miss  seems  impossible.  Yet  a 
person  shooting  a  rifle  as  he  would  a  shot-gun  can 
miss  twenty  successive  deer  standing  broadside  at 
only  forty  yards  with  about  the  same  ease  and  cer- 
tainty that  he  could  hit  them  with  a  shot-gun.  For  a 
whole  year  the  very  best  target-shots  will  at  seventy- 
five  yards  probably  miss  more  deer  than  they  hit; 
and  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  the  very  best  game- 
shots  will  always  do  the  same:  and  all  this  without  any 
"buck-ague"  or  nervousness  entering  into  the  ques- 


THE  RIFLE   ON   GAME   A  T  REST.  273 

tion.  This  of  course  would  not  be  so  if  the  game 
were  always  in  the  same  position,  light,  etc.,  and 
always  standing  full  broadside.  But  as  deer  are  gene- 
rally seen  it  would  be  so. 

You  have  already  seen  how  a  deer  can  be  "  too 
close,"  And  now  you  can  understand  why  overcon- 
fidence  producing  a  little  lack  of  care  in  aiming  can 
make  you  miss  a  deer  within  a  stone's  throw.  And 
beware  that  you  do  not  forget  this,  for  even  old  and 
good  shots  are  often  deceived  by  a  deer  being  "too 
close."  Think  it  over  and  sing  it  over  every  time 
you  start  for  the  woods.  And  I  recommend  as  a  very 
suitable  line  for  this  purpose, 

"  Thou  art  so  near  and  yet  so  far." 

In  almost  every  miss  you  make  for  the  first  season 
or  so,  and  in  nearly  all  cases  where  the  game  is  missed 
because  of  being  "  too  close,"  your  bullet  goes  above 
the  game.  This  tendency  to  overshoot  is  the  most 
universal  and  ineradicable  error  that  exists  in  the 
whole  range  of  hunting  with  the  rifle.  As  I  shall  re- 
cur to  it  again,  I  will  now  merely  sum  up  the  cases  in 
which  it  is  likely  to  be  done,  discussing  only  a  few  of 
them  in  detail.  And  most  of  them  will  suggest  their 
own  remedy. 

ist.  All  cases  of  the  least  carelessness  in  aiming, 
whether  from  haste,  overconfidence,  or  nervousness. 
This  results  from  catching  with  the  eye  too  much  of 
the  front  sight. 

2d.  Having  the  rifle  sighted  to  a  point  beyond  what 
is  commonly  called  its  natural  point  blank,  thus 
carrying  the  ball  above  intermediate  points. 

3d.  Over-estimating  distance  of  game  and  pur- 
posely shooting  higher  than  is  really  necessary. 


274  THE   STILL-HUNTED. 

4th.   Having  a  dull  front  sight  not  easily  seen. 

5th.  Shooting  toward  the  sun. 

6th.  The  sun  lighting  up  the  base  of  the  front  sight 
instead  of  the  tip,  so  that  you  take  too  coarse  a  sight 
by  mistaking  the  base  for  the  tip. 

7th.  Shooting  in  insufficient  light,  especially  at 
night. 

8th.  Shooting  at  a  dim  mark. 

pth.  Too  much  reflection  of  light  from  the  back 
sight,  thus  blurring  your  view  of  the  front  sight. 

icth.  The  varying  play  of  light  and  shade  upon 
open  sights,  making  it  almost  impossible  under  con- 
stantly changing  amounts  and  direction  of  light  to 
always  catch  precisely  the  same  amount  of  the  front 
sight. 

nth.  Ocular  aberration  upon  the  front  sight,  or 
the  impossibility  of  measuring  with  the  eye  always 
the  same  exact  amount  of  the  front  sight,  even  where 
the  light,  etc.,  is  always  the  same. 

i2th.  Shooting  down  hill.  This  may  be  partly 
from  having  the  light  strike  more  directly  upon  the 
back  of  the  front  sight  so  that  the  base  is  mistaken  for 
the  tip.  But  it  is  more  because  the  apparent  center- 
line  of  the  animal's  body  is  thus  raised  above  the  real 
center-line  by  the  line  of  sight  striking  obliquely.  In 
tins  way  a  shot  four  inches  too  high,  that  if  fired  on  a 
level  may  still  hit  a  deer,  when  fired  from  an  angle  of 
forty  degrees  or  more  above  him  may  just  clear  his 
back.  This  error  is  very  hard  to  avoid. 

i3th.  Up-hill  shots  when  very  long  and  you  attempt 
to  allow  for  distance.  When  short  there  is  little  or 
no  trouble. 

Besides  overshooting  there  are  errors  enough  that 
you  can  make.  As  soon  as  you  begin  to  correct 


THE  RIFLE    ON  GAME  AT  REST.  275 

that  error  you  will  be  troubled  some  with  under- 
shooting. 

This  will  be  caused  by — 

i st.  Fear  of  overshooting  causing  you  to  take  too 
fine  a  sight  at  distances  where  you  have  learned  that 
it  is  unsafe  to  attempt  to  allow  for  the  drop  of  your 
bullet,  because  of  the  liability  to  overestimate  dis- 
tance. This  you  can  never  entirely  overcome.  There 
is  a  certain  point  at  which  the  ball  if  fired  on  a  level 
will  certainly  drop  below  the  game.  And  yet  the 
only  safe  rule  for  shooting  at  that  point  in  cases  of 
doubt  whether  to  shoot  higher  or  not  is  to  resolve 
the  doubt  always  and  instantly  in  favor  of  the  level 
sights.  This  will  insure  the  most  hits,  but  will  neces- 
sarily cause  some  misses. 

2d.  Not  understanding  how  far  your  rifle  shoots  on 
a  line  practically  level,  and  holding  a  fine  level  sight 
on  game  that  is  plainly  too  far  beyond  the  point  blank. 

3d.  Very  long  shots  down  a  steep  hill.  This  is 
partly  from  underestimating  the  distance  of  the  ob- 
ject aimed  at  from  the  foot  of  a  line  dropped  per- 
pendicularly from  the  rifle  to  center  of  earth,  a  thing 
we  are  very  apt  to  do  on  a  long  steep  hill.  It  may 
also  be  that  the  coincidence  of  gravitation  with  the 
downward  motion  of  the  ball  increases  the  ratio  of 
its  fall. 

4th.  Underestimating  distance  over  water,  over  clear 
snow,  and  across  a  deep  valley  with  a  broad  bottom. 
These  three  with  the  long  down-hill  shot — which  is 
analogous  to  the  shot  across  the  deep  broad-bottomed 
valley — are  about  the  only  cases  in  which  you  will 
underestimate  distance.  And  you  will  be  troubled 
little  with  them  until  after  the  beginning  of  a  re- 
action from  overestimating. 


276  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

You  will  also  be  apt  at  first  to  shoot  at  the  middle 
of  your  game.  Should  you  hit  it  there  you  will  then 
have  a  long  and  perhaps  futile  hunt  for  it  unless  shot 
with  a  very  large  or  expansive  ball.  You  should  aim 
either  directly  at  the  shoulder  or  just  behind  it;  and 
in  either  case  low  down.  About  one  third  of  the  dis- 
tance up  the  body  is  the  right  point.  In  the  shoulder 
is  the  better  place  to  shoot  your  game  with  a  small 
ball,  provided  it.  has  enough  penetration.  Just  behind 
the  shoulder  is  the  better  place  for  a  ball  that  lacks 
penetration.  Behind  the  shoulder  a  ball  damages 
less  meat  by  settling  of  blood.  On  the  other  hand, 
a  trifling  error  in  placing  a  small  ball  too  far  back  or 
too  high  may  allow  your  game  to  run  a  mile  or  more 
and  even  escape  you  entirely.  The  same  might  be 
the  case  with  a  shoulder-shot,  but  the  same  amount  of 
variation  would  not  be  so  apt  to  let  the  game  escape 
as  in  case  of  a  shot  back  of  the  shoulder. 

Beware  how  you  shoot  unnecessarily  through  thick 
brush  and  twigs  at  any  considerable  distance.  A 
pointed  ball  is  especially  bad  for  such  shooting,  as  a 
small  twig  may  set  it  wabbling  and  thus  deflect  it, 
whereas  a  round  or  flat-headed  ball  would  cut  it  off 
without  turning.  This  often  spoils  long  shots  in  the 
woods. 

But  after  all,  the  most  important  point  is  never  to 
be  in  a  hurry.  Fire  as  you  would  at  a  target;  that  is, 
as  coolly  and  deliberately.  Never  hasten  a  second 
because  the  game  shows  signs  of  starting  or  because 
you  think  it  is  going  to  move,  or  because  there  is  more 
than  one  deer  or  antelope  waiting  for  your  bullet. 
Place  no  dependence  upon  speed  of  fire.  No  matter 
how  many  shots  you  can  fire  or  how  fast  you  can  fire 
them,  shoot  every  ball  just  as  if  it  were  your  last  one. 


THE  RIFLE   ON  GAME  AT  REST.  277 

After  you  acquire  some  experience  in  shooting  at  game 
you  will  learn  to  shoot  quicker  and  in  a  way  that  to  a 
bystander  would  appear  as  if  you  took  a  careless  aim. 
But  the  carelessness  is  apparent  only  and  not  real.  It 
is  quick  carefulness.  But  it  will  not  do  for  any  one 
to  begin  with. 

Many  persons  who  are  good  off-hand  shots  scout 
the  idea  of  resting  the  rifle  on  anything  when  shoot- 
ing. This  is  partly  right  and  partly  wrong.  On  a 
long  shot  there  is  no  one  whose  shooting  cannot  be 
improved  by  a  dead  rest;  especially  if  there  be  any 
considerable  cross-wind  blowing.  Fora  short  distance 
a  rest  is  entirely  unnecessary  for  one  of  any  experience 
in  shooting  game,  unless  his  nerves  be  unsettled  by 
climbing,  running,  etc.  But  the  beginner  had  better 
take  a  rest  even  for  close  shots  whenever  he  can  get 
it  without  making  any  movement  that  may  alarm  the 
game. 

There  are  different  ways  of  holding  the  rifle  in  target- 
shooting.  But  I  think  there  is  but  one  true  way  of 
holding  it  in  shooting  at  game. 

ist.  The  butt  should  be  against  the  shoulder  and 
not  against  the  muscle  of  the  arm.  And  where  there 
is  much  recoil  it  should  be  firmly  pressed  to  the 
shoulder. 

2d.  The  head  should  be  held  well  back  and  not  with 
the  nose  against  the  right  thumb.  If  there  is  much 
recoil  to  your  rifle  you  will  be  apt  to  flinch  under  fire 
if  your  nose  comes  in  the  way  of  your  thumb.  Many 
rifles  are,  however,  so  artistically  made  in  the  stock 
that  the  eye  can  be  brought  down  to  the  level  of  the 
sights  only  by  crowding  the  nose  against  the  thumb. 
Another  advantage  of  holding  the  head  back  is  that 
the  farther  the  eve  is  removed  from  the  back  sight  on 


278  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  barrel  the  less  you  will  be  troubled  with  any  re- 
flection of  light  from  its  edges  and  the  clearer  will  be 
its  outlines. 

3d.  The  left  arm  should  be  well  extended  along  the 
barrel  so  that  the  elbow  makes  a  very  obtuse  angle. 
The  advantage  of  this  is  that  the  rifle  may  be  thus 
turned  more  quickly  upon  the  mark;  quite  an  impor- 
tant matter  when  the  mark  is  moving.  But  when  game 
is  standing  or  you  are  shooting  at  a  target  the  ad- 
vantages of  this  position  are  not  apparent.  But  as  it 
is  quicker  and  better  for  some  kinds  of  shooting,  and 
just  as  good  as  any  for  all  kinds,  the  habit  of  so  hold- 
ing the  arm  had  better  be  cultivated. 

There  are  two  ways  of  shooting. 

ist.  Shooting  with  a  steady  arm.  Here  the  rifle  lies 
in  the  hands  almost  like  a  log  in  mud.  It  is  held  fairly 
on  the  mark  and  kept  there  until  fired. 

2d.  Shooting  with  an  unsteady  arm.  Here  the  rifle 
cannot  be  held  still.  The  front  sight  will  wander 
around,  over,  under,  and  across  the  mark.  All  the 
shooter  can  do  is  to  fire  when  the  front  sight  touches 
the  mark  in  crossing  it;  generally  when  coming  up  from 
below. 

The  first  way,  or  shooting  with  a  steady  hand,  is  the 
only  way  in  which  first-class  shooting  can  be  done; 
for  no  other  mode  can  be  relied  upon  for  a  long  con- 
tinuance or  series  of  good  shots.  This  is  the  method 
of  all  the  best,  or  rather  most  reliable,  shots  at  game. 
But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  this  implies  any 
slowness.  The  rifle  need  not  lie  at  rest  for  over  half 
a  second,  and  generally  does  not  do  so.  A  good  shot 
using  this  method  will  appear  to  shoot  even  quicker 
than  one  using  the  second  method.  Yet  there  is  a 
short  time  when  the  rifle  does  lie,  practically  at  least, 


&C     O 

O 


THE  RIFLE   ON  GAME  A  T  KEST.  279 

at  perfect  rest.  And  during  that  time,  short  though 
it  be,  the  trigger  is  pulled. 

The  second  way  is  about  the  only  method  available 
to  nervous  persons.  Since  being  broken  down  by  ill- 
health  several  years  ago  I  am  unable  to  shoot  in  any 
other  way.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  hold  the 
sight  at  rest  on  the  mark  as  I  once  could.  By  this 
method  many  shots  can  be  made  as  well  as  by  the 
first  way.  But  one  is  liable  at  any  time  to  send  a 
ball  flying  wild  when  firing  at  the  easiest  kind  of  a 
mark.  And  on  days  when  an  unusual  degree  of  nerv- 
ousness is  present  this  liability  becomes  provokingly 
frequent,  and  is  often  attended  by  the  still  more  pro- 
voking trick,  also  the  result  of  nervousness,  of  balking 
or  flinching  at  the  trigger,  giving  it  a  nervous  twitch 
either  without  firing  at  all  or  else  firing  it  a  yard  or 
two  off  the  mark.  But  whenever  the  hand  of  the 
hunter  is  made  unsteady  from  any  cause  this  is  the 
only  way  to  shoot,  as  it  is  generally  useless  to  wait  for 
the  hand  to  reach  its  complete  natural  steadiness. 

A  hard  trigger  may  be  drawn  in  three  ways. 

ist.  By  a  slow  steady  pull.  This  is  the  best  way 
when  shooting  a  very  hard  trigger  with  a  rest.  But 
when  shooting  off-hand  a  better  way  is — 

2d.  Resting  the  finger  upon  the  trigger  with  about 
two  thirds  or  three  quarters  of  the  pressure  needed 
for  release  and  then  suddenly  applying,  when  the  ex- 
act instant  arrives,  the  rest  of  the  necessary  pressure. 

3d.  Pulling  trigger  with  a  jerk,  the  finger  being  kept 
off  of  the  trigger  until  the  instant  of  pulling.  This  is 
the  same  as  is  done  with  the  shot-gun  at  flying  game, 
and  is  worthless  fo:-  the  rifle  except  for  snap-shots. 

There  are  two  ways  of  pulling  a  set  trigger. 

ist.  Keeping  the  finger  free  of  it  until  the  exact  in- 


280  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

stant  arrives  and  then  just  touching  it.  This  is  the 
only  \vay  a  very  light  set  can  be  fired.  But  a  better 
way  is  to  have  the  set  so  that  it  can  be  just  touched 
without  releasing  it  and  then — 

2d.  Allow  the  finger  to  merely  touch  it  until  the  ex- 
act instant  comes  and  then  increase  the  weight  of  the 
touch. 

Both  the  set  and  the  hard  trigger  have  their  advan- 
tages and  disadvantages  for  a  hunting-rifle.  Finer 
off-hand  shooting  can  undoubtedly  be  done  with  a  set 
trigger.  But  it  is  too  easy  for  good  running  shoot- 
ing, especially  when  there  is  little  time  to  spare.  And 
it  is  too  unsafe  with  a  trigger  set  to  carry  the  rifle 
cocked  even  when  expecting  game  to  jump. 

The  real  truth  is  that  hard  triggers  are  generally 
made  absurdly  hard.  For  such  a  promiscuous  con- 
glomeration of  numbskulls  as  generally  constitutes 
an  army  a  six-pound  pull  is  well  enough.  With  an 
easy  pull  soldiers  would  decimate  their  own  ranks  more 
than  those  of  the  enemy.  But  for  hunting,  a  pull  of 
two  pounds  or  even  a  pound  and  a  half  at  the  outside  is 
safe  enough.  And  in  hunting,  whatever  is  unnecessary 
is  a  nuisance. 

For  target-shooting,  where  the  trigger  is  not  set 
until  the  rifle  is  raised,  a  trigger  that  will  not  bear 
touching  is  well  enough.  Even  there  I  think  it  unneces- 
sary; but  it  can  do  no  harm.  But  for  hunting  it  should 
bear  a  touch  of  at  least  three  ounces  in  weight. 

The  best  of  all  is  a  combination  of  both ;  the  hard  trig- 
ger being  not  over  one  and  a  half  or  two  pounds' pull, 
and  the  set  bearing  a  touch  of  three  ounces  before  going 
off.  Then  use  the  hard  trigger  for  all  close  shots,  quick 
shots,  and  running  shots,  and  the  set  for  all  fine  shots 
and  long  shots. 


THE  RIFLE   ON  GAME  AT  REST.  281 

There  are  different  ways  of  bringing  the  sight  on 
the  mark.  But  for  hunting  there  is  but  one  true  way 
— to  raise  the  rifle  from  underneath.  The  experienced 
shot  will  often  apparently  fire  as  it  comes  to  a  level. 
And  often  he  will  actually  do  so.  But  this  is  because 
long  practice  has  made  him  automatic  in  regard  to 
care  and  precision.  The  beginner  must  never  be  be- 
guiled into  doing  this  because  it  looks  smart  and 
dashing.  The  heroes  you  read  of  in  novels,  etc.,  did 
not  begin  in  that  way.  Nor  do  they  ever  shoot  so 
when  a  very  fine  shot  is  to  be  made. 

On  all  close  shots  it  is  better  not  to  raise  the  sights 
upon  the  spot  you  wish  to  hit.  It  is  better  to  see  the 
whole  above  the  front  sight.  Or  aim  so  that  you  will 
hit  the  lower  edge  of  the  bull's-eye  on  a  target.  This 
plan  is  best  because  of  the  danger  of  overshooting, 
already  so  great,  being  increased  if  the  front  sight 
should  cover  the  bull's-eye.  On  a  long  shot  you  may 
cover  the  bull's-eye  with  the  front  sight.  But  on  long 
shots  as  well  as  short  ones  the  beginner  had  better 
hold  the  sight  both  fine  and  low,  not  trusting  himself 
to  decide  what  is  a  long  shot  until  he  has  seen  a  good 
many  balls  fall  short  of  his  game. 


282  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE    RIFLE    ON    MOVING    GAME. 

So  vast  is  the  difference  between  hitting  even  with 
the  shot-gun  an  object  at  rest  and  an  object  in  motion 
that  it  was  many  a  year  after  the  introduction  of 
the  shot-scattering  system  before  any  one  attempted 
much  to  kill  game  when  in  motion.  Many  men  are 
still  living  who  can  plainly  remember  when  wing- 
shooting  was  almost  an  unknown  art,  practiced  only 
by  a  few  city  sportsmen,  while  the  country  sportsman 
always  waited  for  the  rabbit  or  quail  to  stop.  Even 
now  this  art  is  confined  to  those  who  can  afford  to 
waste  plenty  of  ammunition  and  have  the  time  and 
opportunity  to  practice.  Even  now  it  is  conceded 
that  even  a  moderate  proficiency  is  no  easy  thing  for 
any  one  to  acquire,  and  for  a  large  number  of  people 
is  a  hard  thing  to  acquire. 

If  such  be  the  case  with  a  gun  that  covers  with  its 
missiles  a  space  of  thirty  inches,  how  much  greater 
must  be  the  difficulty  of  doing  the  same  thing  with 
a  gun  whose  missile  covers  only  half  an  inch  or  even 
less!  We  have  already  seen  the  immense  difference 
between  the  shot-gun  and  rifle  on  game  at  rest.  And 
at  least  the  same  degree  of  difference  must  exist  be- 
tween shooting  with  them  game  in  motion.  Such  has 
always  been  believed  to  be  the  case,  almost  all  rifle- 
men conceding  the  difficulties  of  using  the  rifle  upon 
anything  in  motion;  only  a  very  few  of  them  being 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING   GAME.  283 

able  to  hit  even  so  large  an  object  as  a  deer  or  ante- 
lope when  running;  and  all  who  talked  of  shooting 
on  the  wing  with  the  rifle  being  classed  as  braggarts 
who  knew  nothing  at  all  of  shooting. 

The  world  turned  out  to  be  wrong  in  its  opinion  of 
what  could  not  be  done  with  the  shot-gun.  Is  it 
wrong  in  the  opinion  it  has  so  long  held  about  the 
capabilities  of  the  rifle?  Some  advanced  people  think 
that  it  is. 

In  the  winter  of  1877-78  there  appeared  a  gentle- 
man whose  sudden  bound  from  obscurity  to  world- 
wide fame,  from  comparative  poverty  to  comparative 
wealth,  merits  attention.  Probably  no  man  ever  be- 
fore won  such  applause,  such  notoriety,  and  so  much 
money  in  so  short  a  time  from  any  exhibition  of  skill. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  with  either  rifle  or  shot-gun  no 
man  ever  again  will  do  it. 

This  gentleman  sprang  upon  the  stage  with  a  chal- 
lenge that  was  at  first  received  with  a  universal  laugh 
of  sneering  contempt.  Those  who  knew  him  knew, 
however,  what  he  could  do,  and  he  lacked  no  backers 
in  San  Francisco.  He  at  once  began  giving  exhibitions 
in  California,  and  demolished  glass  balls  and  even  ten- 
cent  pieces  and  bits  of  lead-pencil  tossed  in  the  air,  and 
did  it  with  an  approach  to  certainty  that  silenced  the 
laugher  and  turned  the  scoffer  into  an  admirer. 

He  made  his  way  East  and  from  thence  to  England, 
France,  and  Germany,  amid  a  storm  of  applause  and 
"  gate-money,"  winning  the  hearts  even  of  princes  and 
dignified  old  emperors  by  the  rapidity  and  accuracy 
of  his  shooting. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  his  success  was  partly  due 
to  the  romantic  story  of  his  life  as  an  Indian  captive 
from  childhood.  This  there  seems  no  reason  to  doubt; 


284  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

and,  aided  by  a  fine  physique  and  the  tremendous 
power  of  long  hair,  flop-hat,  buckskins,  and  badges, 
it  possibly  went  far  toward  storming  the  susceptibili- 
ties of  our  foreign  friends  as  well  as  the  softer  sex 
and  softer  members  of  the  harder  sex  at  home.  But 
he  certainly  did  such  shooting  as  would  before  have 
been  by  many  deemed  impossible. 

From  his  first  appearance  upon  the  stage  Dr.  Car- 
ver has  had  an  enormous  amount  of  practice  with  the 
rifle.  And  this  he  still  keeps  up.  Like  all  other 
"professional"  shots  he  plays  with  ammunition  by 
the  barrelful  where  an  amateur  or  ordinary  hunter 
uses  less  than  a  handful.  He  has  all  the  advantages 
of  powerful  strength  and  perfect  health,  is  in  the 
prime  of  life  with  perfect  sight,  and  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  the  best  of  field-shots  before  he  appeared  in 
public;  nearly  all  his  life  having  been  passed  in  the 
field.  The  rifle  has  now  reached  about  as  high  a 
state  of  perfection  as  can  be  expected  from  it,  so  far 
as  its  accuracy  at  short  range  and  convenience  of  aim- 
ing are  concerned.  We  are  therefore  justified  in  as- 
suming that  Dr.  Carver  can  now  do  with  the  rifle  at 
short  range  about  all  that  can  ever  be  done  with  it; 
certainly  all  that  can  ever  be  done  with  it  by  any  ordi- 
nary amount  of  practice. 

In  1878,  about  the  time  the  loudest  thunders  of  ap- 
plause were  rolling  heavenward;  when  the  words 
"marvelous,"  "miraculous,"  "  wonderful,"  "astonish- 
ing," "witchcraft,"  "  sorcery,"  "jugglery,"  "  sleight  of 
hand,"  etc.  etc.,  echoed  from  half  a  million  tongues; 
when  Eastern  editors  were  vying  with  each  other  in 
the  effort  to  determine  whether  Carver's  shooting 
were  "  instinctive,"  "  intuitive,"  "  innate,"  or  "  natural;" 
when  Eastern  reporters  were  filling  columns  with  his 


THE  RIFLE    ON  MOVING   GAME.  285 

romantic  history,  and  telling  how  he  could  kill  more 
birds  on  the  wing  with  a  bullet  than  most  sportsmen 
could  with  shot,  and  then  winding  up  with  the  affecting 
tale  of  how  he  "accidentally  discovered"  his  wondrous 
God-given  power  in  trying  to  bag  a  bluejay's  tail  for 
the  pretty  daughter  of  an  Indian  chief, — an  obscure  in- 
dividual in  the  mountains  of  San  Diego  County,  Cali- 
fornia, who  had  never  seen  a  glass  ball,  had  the 
audacity  to  think  that  the  crowd  was  a  little  too  en- 
thusiastic. 

In  the  columns  of  the  Chicago  Field  he  then  took 
the  ground  that  Carver's  shooting  was  neither  marvel- 
ous nor  extraordinary,  but  simply  new,  and  hazarded 
the  prediction  that  if  there  were  any  profit  in  it  there 
would  in  a  very  few  months  be  plenty  of  successful 
imitators.  Carver  honored  the  rural  impertinence 
with  his  most  crushing  challenge,  to  which  the  rustic 
succumbed  at  once.  His  prediction  was,  however, 
quickly  verified.  Imitators  by  the  score  arose,  most 
of  whom  have  excelled  the  best  records  made  by 
Carver  during  his  first  six  months  of  glory.  And 
before  long  we  began  to  hear  of  wonderful  boys  and 
even  wonderful  girls  that  hit  glass  balls  and  pennies 
in  the  air  with  a  rifle.  These  prodigies  are  on  the  in- 
crease. The  other  day  I  read  of  two  new  cases  in  one 
paper,  neither  over  ten  years  of  age. 

During  all  this  time  it  seems  not  to  have  occurred  to 
the  editorial  or  "  scissoring"  world  that  these  wonder- 
ful boys  and  girls  may  prove  two  things  instead  of 
only  one  thing.  According  to  them  the  hitting  of 
glass  balls  in  air  by  a  child  of  ten  years  old  proves 
only  that  the  child  is  a  wonderful  performer.  Is  it 
not  just  possible  that  it  may  also  prove  that  the  per- 
formance is  child's  play? 


286  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

The  almost  universal  opinion  of  Carver's  shooting 
was  that  it  settled  the  long  insoluble  problem  of 
shooting  on  the  wing  with  the  rifle.  The  majority 
thought  that  the  ability  to  do  this  was  restricted  to 
Carver  himself.  Others  thought  that  it  could  be  ac- 
quired by  imitating  his  methods,  especially  that  of 
keeping  both  eyes  open  while  aiming. 

A  few  now  think  that  the  whole  thing  was  a  delu- 
sion; that  the  performance  is  a  very  easy  one,  and 
instead  of  being  marvelous  was  simply  novel;  that,  the 
novelty  being  now  worn  off,  the  shooting  amounts  to 
nothing  for  any  practical  purpose.  But  the  opinion 
of  the  great  majority  is  the  other  way.  Thousands> 
even,  of  men  who  use  the  rifle  still  believe  and  long 
will  believe  that  Carver  solved  the  question  and  discov- 
ered or  invented  the  art  of  wing-shooting  with  the  rifle. 
Already  we  have  the  "champion  wing-shot  with  the 
rifle"  by  dozens.  Already  "wing-shooting  with  the 
rifle"  is  talked  of  as  a  thing  of  course.  And  it  may 
be  safely  said  that  the  world  in  general  now  believes 
and  long  will  believe  that  the  ability  to  break  glass 
balls  in  air  and  blow  nickels  skyward  with  the  rifle  as 
Carver  did  carries  with  it  of  course  the  ability  to 
shoot  game  on  the  wing  with  the  rifle.  And  if  such 
small  things  may  be  hit,  the  tripping  of  the  heels  of 
such  a  large  object  as  a  deer  or  antelope  follows  as  a 
mere  matter  of  course. 

It  will  therefore  be  worth  while  to  analyze  this 
shooting  and  see  just  what  can  and  what  cannot  be 
done  by  it.  We  shall  then  be  in  a  position  to  under- 
stand the  question  of  shooting  running  deer. 

At  the  outset  one  very  significant  fact  stares  us  in 
the  face,  a  fact  that  no  one  yet  seems  to  have  taken 
the  slightest  notice  of.  That  fact  is  this:  Dr.  Carver 


THE  RIFLE    ON    MOVING   GAME.  287 

and  all  the  imitators  who  have  followed  him  have  in 
all  their  public  exhibitions  been  careful  to  shoot  at  no 
pigeons  or  other  birds  on  the  wing,  to  shoot  at  no  balls 
tossed  across  the  line  of  fire  or  at  any  angle  to  it,  and  to 
shoot  at  nothing  in  motion  when  at  any  distance 
where  it  would  require  the  most  ordinary  amount  of 
skill  to  hit  the  same  object  if  at  rest. 

In  order  to  understand  clearly  let  us  consider  skill 
as  of  three  degrees: 

ist.  That  skill  necessary  to  hit  a  three-inch  ball  at 
rest  at  ten  paces,  offhand  with  open  sights. 

2d.  That  skill  necessary  to  hit  at  forty  paces. 

3d.  That  skill  necessary  to  hit  at  seventy  paces. 

The  first  is  the  very  lowest  skill  necessary  for  rifle- 
shooting.  This  may  be  cultivated  in  a  single  day  by 
any  person  male  or  female  of  over  ten  years  old,  and 
many  a  boy  of  eight  or  nine  can  hit  balls  at  rest  all 
day  at  that  distance  upon  the  first  trial.  With  a  little 
practice  the  ball  may  be  hit  at  ten  paces  by  almost 
any  one  without  any  sights  upon  the  rifle,  and  with  a 
little  more  practice  without  even  raising  the  rifle  to 
the  shoulder.  But  every  one  who  has  ever  shot  at  game 
with  the  rifle  will  readily  admit  that  this  degree  of 
skill  is  absolutely  worthless  in  the  field.  This  degree 
of  skill  is  attainable  by  mere  sense  of  direction  aided 
by  practice.  A  baseball  pitcher  with  his  ball,  a  team- 
ster with  his  whip,  a  boy  with  the  "  nigger-shooter" 
or  blow-gun  can  soon  learn  to  hit  such  a  mark  nearly 
every  time. 

The  second  degreee  of  skill,  or  hitting  a  three-inch 
mark  at  forty  paces,  used  to  be  very  ordinary  in  the 
days  of  muzzle-loaders.  Since  the  breech-loader  has 
so  generally  come  into  fashion  it  has,  for  reasons 
we  shall  point  out  hereafter,  become  a  very  respect- 


288  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

able  degree  of  skill.  This  degree  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  anything  like  successful  shooting  on  any 
kind  of  game  however  large  or  close.  But  it  is  far 
from  being  sufficient,  and  he  who  can  do  no  better 
will  miss  in  the  long-run  fully  one  half  of  the  game  he 
shoots  at  unless  he  confines  himself  to  very  close 
shots. 

The  third  degree,  or  hitting  a  three-inch  mark  at 
seventy  yards,  is  about  the  highest  skill  attainable 
with  the  average  breech-loader  with  hunting-sights 
and  offhand.  There  has  long  been  an  idea  that  much 
better  shooting  was  possible.  Of  course  better  shots 
may  be  made.  But  he  who  takes  the  same  pains  to 
count  his  misses  that  he  does  to  count  his  hits,  and 
takes  the  average  of  a  long  series  of  shots,  will  speed- 
ily conclude  that  to  hit  a  three-inch  mark  four  times 
out  of  five  at  seventy  yards  is  about  as  well  as  there 
is  any  hope  of  doing  without  very  fine  sights. 

The  first  of  these  degrees  of  skill  is  that  used  in  all 
the  shooting  at  glass  balls  that  Carver  and  his  imita- 
tors do.  A  ball  is  occasionally  shot  at  at  twenty 
yards,  but  the  experiment  is  rarely  repeated  and  is 
not  half  the  time  successful  at  the  first  shot.  All  the 
shooting  is  done  inside  of  ten  paces,  generally  at  eight 
paces,  and  where  mere  sense  of  direction  will  almost 
suffice  to  hit  it  every  time. 

The  ball  is  therefore  at  a  distance  where  almost  no 
skill  at  all  would  be  required  to  hit  it  if  //  were  at  rest. 
Now  is  it  not  practically  at  rest? 

The  ball  may  be  taken  just  as  it  hangs  in  air,  just 
after  it  turns  to  descend,  or  even  some  time  after  begin- 
ning to  fall.  Any  one  who  has  ever  practiced  any  with 
a  shot-gun  at  such  marks  knows  that  it  makes  little 
difference  which  way  it  is  done  so  long  as  you  con- 


THE   RIFLE    ON  MOVING   GAME.  289 

tinue  to  catch  it  always  at  that  point.  JusL  after  it 
turns  is,  however,  the  best,  the  sight  being  taken  at 
the  lower  edge.  The  ball,  too,  is  always  tossed  to 
about  the  same  height,  is  always  at  the  same  distance 
and  in  the  same  direction,  and  is  always  descending 
at  the  same  rate  of  speed.  No  one  who  has  ever  han- 
dled a  gun  needs  to  be  told  how  quickly  the  gun  be- 
gins to  return  to  the  same  place  when  often  tossed  up 
to  it.  And  in  the  same  way  the  rifle-sights  soon  be- 
gin to  align  themselves  almost  automatically  with 
anything  always  in  the  same  position.  How  easy 
this  becomes  with  a  little  practice  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  with  a  month's  practice  men  who  had  never 
before  handled  a  rifle  almost  equaled  Carver's  best 
scores  on  balls.  How  easy  it  is  to  do  naturally  is  well 
shown  by  the  feat  of  Mr.  Maurice  Thompson,  the 
well-known  archer.  At  the  very  first  trial  he  broke 
with  bow  and  arrow  thirty-five  out  of  fifty  balls  tossed 
in  air  at  ten  paces,  shooting,  too,  as  fast  as  the  arrows 
could  be  placed  on  the  string.  This  was  indeed  a 
feat,  since  it  takes  considerable  skill  to  hit  with  an  ar- 
row a  ball  at  ten  paces  even  at  rest.  This  would  be 
fully  equal  to  the  same  with  the  rifle  at  twenty-five 
yards;  a  little  feat  that  neither  Carver  nor  his  followers 
have  ever  cared  to  attempt  in  public. 

The  whole  secret  of  the  matter  is  this:  that  a  body 
descending  inside  of  ten  paces,  descending  straight 
and  always  at  the  same  speed,  becomes  with  a  little 
practice  practically  ///  a  state  of  rest  at  any  point  along 
the  line  at  which  one  accustoms  one's  self  to  shoot  at  it. 
It  is  practically  a  body  always  in  the  same  position 
and  at  the  same  distance,  and  the  most  careless  aim  if 
only  low  enough  will  hit  it.  A  grazing  ball  that  would 
not  count  on  a  bull's-eye  will  also  break  a  glass  ball. 


290  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

The  case  is  not  very  much  altered  where  pennies  are 
substituted.  It  is  far  easier  to  hit  a  one-inch  mark  at 
ten  yards  than  to  hit  a  three-inch  mark  at  thirty  yards. 
This  is  owing  to  the  greater  clearness  of  the  mark  and 
other  causes  we  shall  see  hereafter,  such  as  trajectory 
motion  of  object,  etc.  Still,  pennies  are  harder  to  hit 
than  balls,  and  with  remarkable  unanimity  the  "  cham- 
pion rifle  wing-shots"  always  prefer  balls  to  pennies, 
though  more  than  twice  as  expensive  and  far  more 
troublesome  to  handle.  They  also  take  care  to  have  the 
pitcher  a  little  closer,  shoot  at  a  very  few  of  the  pennies, 
and  never  attempt  a  long  score.  And  the  full  score 
of  those  they  do  shoot  at  is  generally  suppressed. 

The  man  who  first  tossed  up  two  pennies  and  hit 
both  with  a  double  shot-gun  before  they  touched 
ground  was  considered  at  first  a  very  wonderful  shot. 
Such  a  one  will  even  now  raise  a  stare  of  wonder 
among  folks  who  know  nothing  of  shooting.  But 
every  one  who  has  ever  tried  it  a  few  times  will  admit 
that  it  is  quite  an  easy  matter,  requiring  only  a  little 
practice,  and  that  it  by  no  means  implies  the  ability  to 
send  two  woodcock  whirling  right  and  left  to  earth. 
The  ball  and  penny  shooting  with  the  rifle  stands 
upon  the  same  footing.  The  performance  was  some- 
thing new.  To  those  who  knew  nothing  of  rifle- 
shooting  it  was  naturally  surprising.  The  only  real 
wonder  is  that  any  one  knowing  anything  about 
shooting  should  have  been  deceived  by  it  or  thought 
there  was  any  sleight-of-hand  about  it.  And  it  no 
more  implies  the  ability  to  kill  game  in  motion  than 
hitting  pennies  with  the  shot-gun  does.  To  waste  no 
further  time  on  this  point,  let  us  see  what  Carver  has 
done  in  the  field  with  the  rifle. 

He  is  credited   with   having  killed   at   Logansport, 


Hard   to  Approach. 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING  GAME.  291 

Ind.,  four  woodpeckers  out  of  six  at  about  fifty  yards; 
all  crossing  shots.  This  would  be  indeed  marvelous 
shooting.  But  as  Carver  never  alluded  to  it  himself, 
and  never  has  ventured  to  shoot  at  birds  in  his  exhibi- 
tions, we  may  well  consider  it,  what  it  really  was,  pure 
good  fortune.  Success  of  that  sort  runs  in  streaks.  I 
have  made  runs  of  shots  with  the  rifle  on  running  rab- 
bits that  I  know  I  could  not  repeat  in  fifty  trials. 
When  Dr.  Carver  was  getting  a  thousand  dollars  a 
week  for  pulverizing  balls  at  the  Minnesota  State 
Fair  he  was  invited  out  to  shoot  grouse.  It  was 
early  in  September,  when  grouse  lie  well  to  the  dog, 
are  full  grown,  and  generally  rise  at  less  than  six 
paces.  There  flies  no  bird  that  presents  a  fairer  or 
much  larger  target.  The  Doctor  had  shot  thou- 
sands before;  he  was  not  out  for  meat,  but  only  for 
sport.  He  knew  that  killing  grouse  at  that  season 
with  a  gun  is  child's  play.  He  shot  sixty-five  in  all; 
and  he  took  precious  good  care  to  do  it  with  the  shot- 
gun. Why  did  he  not  take  a  rifle?  Perhaps  he  can 
tell  us  better  himself.  Here  is  an  extract  from  a  letter 
of  his  describing  a  chamois-hunt  in  Austria  on  the  pre- 
serves of  Count  Wilzek.  It  is  from  the  Chicago  Field 
of  Nov.  20,  1 880.  Here  is  a  record  of  three  days' 
shooting,  in  his  own  language  too,  by  the  man  who 
was  being  wined  and  dined  by  princes  and  potentates 
for  his  "marvelous,"  "natural,"  "instinctive,"  "in- 
tuitive" shooting.  Yet  the  reader  must  not  suppose 
this  is  bad  shooting.  It  is  first-class  work  under  the 
circumstances.  I  cite  it  only  to  show  the  enormous 
difference  between  ball-shooting  and  game-shooting. 
Probably  no  living  shot  could  excel  it.  But  just 
count  the  misses  and  the  shots  let  go  for  want  of  time 
to  shoot.  Remember,  too,  that  Carver  is  the  quickest 


292  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

of  living  shots  with  the  rifle,  and  that  if  anything  can 
be  done  by  snap-shooting  with  it  he  can  do  it. 

"  Monday  morning  found  me  up  bright  and  early, 
dressed  as  a  mighty  hunter,  armed  with  a  Winchester 
rifle,  model  1876,  and  a  six-foot  pole  with  a  spike  in  it. 
All  eyes  turned  toward  me,  the  Yankee  hunter;  as  I 
stepped  forth,  dressed  in  an  English  hunting-costume, 
my  long  hair  carefully  combed,  many  an  expression 
either  of  contempt  or  admiration  went  up  from  the 
crowd  of  beaters,  but  all  in  German,  so  I  could  not 
understand.  I  learned  afterward  that  I  was  looked 
upon  as  a  good  subject  for  many  purposes,  but  '  nix 
good'  for  chamois.  We  started  at  the  foot  of  an  im- 
mense mountain  and  climbed  toward  the  summit  for 
three  hours.  At  last  we  reached  an  impassable  bar- 
rier; the  Count  motioned  me  to  sit  down  by  a  little 
tree.  I  took  my  seat,  and  for  the  first  time  looked 
down  the  mountain.  I  came  very  near  falling;  turn- 
ing my  eyes  toward  the  summit — I  dare  not  look 
again;  everything  was  still  as  death,  and  thus  it  re- 
mained for  perhaps  twenty  minutes,  when  bang  !  went 
a  rifle  on  our  right.  The  next  instant  there  was  a 
rush  of  stones  down  the  sides  of  the  mountain.  The 
Count  sang  out,  '  Here  he  comes,'  and  sure  enough 
he  came  rushing  down  the  side  of  the  mountain  like 
lightning.  He  made  a  great  bound  and  stopped  on 
the  side  of  the  mountain,  but  only  for  an  instant;  he 
cast  one  wild  look  in  our  direction,  and  jumped  out  of 
sight.  He  ran  on  our  right  and  soon  disappeared, 
and  the  next  we  saw  of  him  he  crossed  the  mountain 
far  out  of  reach  below  us.  How  sorry  I  was  not  to  get 
him;  it  was  the  first  one  I  ever  saw.  We  sat  still  for 
a  few  minutes,  when  directly  under  us,  not  more  than 
ten  yards,  stood  another  chamois.  I  raised  my  gun. 


THE  RIFLE    ON  MOVING   GAME.  293 

The  Count  says,  'Nix,  das  ist  eine  frau;'  and  so  it 
proved,  for  in  another  instant  out  stepped  a  little  kid. 
They  stood  still  for  nearly  a  minute,  then  ran  along 
the  side  of  the  mountain  without  observing  us.  In 
chamois-shooting  none  but  the  bucks  are  shot;  there 
is  but  slight  difference  in  the  horns,  but  a  hunter  can 
tell  a  buck  at  a  long  distance.  At  first  I  could  not  see 
the  slightest  difference.  The  sound  of  the  beaters 
now  reached  our  ears,  the  rattle  of  stones  above  us. 
I  looked  just  in  time  to  see  three  young  chamois 
bound  away.  Soon  comes  another  with  a  kid,  dread- 
fully frightened  at  the  beaters.  She  ran  within  ten 
feet  of  us  and  stopped.  She  was  looking  behind  her 
and  did  not  discover  us  until  I  laughed.  She  was  so 
frightened  she  turned  around  and  knocked  her  little 
one  over,  and  awray  she  went  down  the  mountain. 
We  sat  still  for  a  long  time  until  beaters  reached  us, 
without  seeing  any  more;  then  we  prepared  to  go 
down. 

"  Bread  and  honey,  how  is  that  for  breakfast,  to 
climb  mountains  on  ?  But  once  more  I  shouldered 
that  old  Winchester,  and  followed,  all  smiles,  far  in 
the  rear.  A  distance  of  five  miles,  then  we  commenced 
to  climb  another  mountain.  At  last  I  reached  my 
position,  the  lowest  one  of  all,  thanks  to  the  kindness  of 
the  Count.  I  watched  the  other  shooters  until  out  of 
sight,  then  sitting  clown  with  a  beater  left  to  look 
after  me,  the  Count  taking  a  chance  himself.  He 
excused  himself  from  me  by  saying  he  never  had 
any  luck;  and  so  it  proved,  the  females  all  paying  him 
their  respects,  much  to  his  disgust.  I  had  not  sat 
long  in  my  position  when  I  saw  the  horns  of  a  stag 
through  the  trees  directly  on  my  right.  The  beater 
said,  'Shoot.'  I  was  not  in  any  hurry,  I  felt  so  sure 


394  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

of  him;  he  stepped  out  exposing  his  shoulder  to  me. 
I  said  to  myself,  '  I  have  got  you,  old  man,'  and 
took  a  careful  aim;  bang!  went  the  Winchester,  away 
went  the  stag  up  the  side  of  the  mountain.  I  shot 
three  hundred  feet  too  high  and  ruined  a  top  of  a  big 
pine;  it  did  not  take  me  long  to  get  the  old  Win- 
chester leveled  once  more.  I  shut  my  eyes,  pulled 
and  jerked  until  it  went  off;  good  shot,  just  back  of 
the  shoulder,  but  a  downright  fluke.  The  stag  gave 
one  bound  and  then  came  end  over  end  down  the 
mountain  for  more  than  two  hundred  yards,  a  grand 
sight  for  a  hunter.  All  was  still  for  more  than  half 
an  hour,  when  bang!  went  the  guns  all  along  the  line 
above  me,  and  down  the  mountain  came  a  fine  buck 
chamois.  He  stopped  two  hundred  yards;  bang!  went 
my  gun,  but  still  he  came  on;  bang!  bang!  went  the 
Winchester,  but  still  he  came  on  until  he  was  within 
fifty  yards.  I  still  kept  shooting;  seven  shots  had 
missed.  He  tried  to  run  along  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tains; this  was  the  last  chance,  and  I  stood  up  and 
fired.  Now  or  never;  hit,  by  Jove  !  He  clung  to  the 
side  of  the  mountain  for  one  minute,  then  rolled  down 
to  the  bottom.  He,  my  first  chamois,  was  killed. 
Hurrah  for  Carver  !  We  did  not  have  long  to  wait 
until  down  the  mountain  came  another;  bang!  went 
the  old  gun.  Hit,  but  where?  Through  the  haunch, 
by  that  great  Yankee  too.  One  stag  and  two  chamois, 
when  down  came  another.  I  turned  my  battery  loose 
as  soon  as  he  hove  in  sight,  and  the  chamois  was  so 
frightened  that  he  ran  within  ten  feet  of  where  I  was 
sitting.  I  still  pumped  away  at  him.  He  never 
stopped,  although  we  could  see  four  holes  in  him,  he 
came  so  near.  He  followed  a  little  path  for  a  short 
distance,  and  quietly  laid  down  and  '  passed  in  his 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING  GAME.  295 

chips.'  What  fun  I  was  having,  to  be  sure!  when 
down  came  another.  This  fellow  was  undoubtedly 
engaged  on  some  newspaper,  and  was  going  to  press; 
he  went.  The  shooting  for  the  day  was  over — three 
chamois  and  one  stag;  one  chamois  had  five  bullets 
in  him.  The  Count  gave  me  the  skin,  and  I  will 
always  keep  it  in  remembrance  of  my  astounding  luck. 
To  say  I  was  proud  is  just  what  I  mean.  We  went 
home,  my  lameness  all  gone. 

"  The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  away  we  went 
again.  This  time  we  did  not  have  so  far  to  climb, 
and  were  soon  in  position.  The  first  objects  I  saw 
after  taking  my  ?eat  were  seven  deer;  but  before  I 
could  think  they  were  gone.  I  had  just  time  to  get 
my  gun  in  readiness  when  three  chamois  crossed  in 
front  of  me,  going  undoubtedly  on  pressing  business. 
They  went.  My  banging  at  them  did  not  even  attract 
their  attention.  Dear  reader,  if  you  are  ever  asked 
the  question,  'Can  chamois  run?'  say 'yes,'  for  my 
sake;  but  with  all  their  speed,  they  are  sometimes  fool- 
ish, and  will  stop  every  few  jumps,  and  give  the  hun- 
ter a  good  opportunity  to  shoot.  All  was  quiet  for  a 
few  minutes,  when  bang !  went  Dr.  Cup's  gun.  A 
fine  young  buck  stopped  far  up  the  mountain-side.  I 
took  deliberate  aim,  the  bullet  crashing  through  his 
shoulder.  Almost  at  the  same  instant  I  heard  a  noise 
on  my  right;  I  looked,  and  within  fifty  yards  was  the 
finest  stag  I  ever  saw.  Bang  !  bang  !  went  the  gun 
in  quick  successive  shots,  and  the  noble  stag  com- 
menced rolling,  end  over  end,  down  the  mountain,  the 
chamois  coming  down  the  other.  This  I  will  say  is 
the  best  shot  I  ever  made.  With  four  shots  I  killed 
two  chamois  and  one  stag,  two  bullets  in  the  stag's 
neck  within  two  inches  of  each  other.  The  shooting 


296  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

over,  Dr.  Cup  came  down,  and  said  I  ought  to  thank 
him  for  the  stag,  as  he  missed  him  twice." 

I  consider  it  safe  to  say  that  no  improvement  or 
discovery  has  been  made  in  the  art  of  rifle-shooting 
on  moving  game;  that  snap-shooting  with  it  will 
always  be  worthless  beyond  the  very  shortest  dis- 
tances; that  no  way  of  making  a  rifle  can  obviate  the 
natural  difficulties  of  shooting  with  it;  and  that  the 
use  of  two  eyes,  though  just  as  good  as  the  use  of  only 
one,  will  not  help  us  a  particle. 

Practice  at  balls  is,  however,  by  no  means  to  be 
despised.  Practice  at  anything  is  better  than  no 
practice  at  all.  But  do  not  deceive  yourself  with  the 
idea  that  hitting  balls  implies  hitting  game. 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING  GAME  29? 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

THE    RIFLE    ON    MOVING  GAME    (CONTINUED). 

THE  great  hindrances  to  successful  shooting  with 
the  rifle  at  running  deer  and  antelope  are  precisely 
the  same  that  prevent  successful  wing-shooting  with 
it.  Shooting  at  the  two  first  is  the  more  easy  only 
because  of  the  greater  size  of  the  mark.  But  this 
size,  great  though  it  be,  does  not  even  at  quite  short 
distances  permit  the  least  carelessness  in  aiming.  For, 
as  we  have  seen,  such  carelessness  is  bad  enough  even 
when  the  game  is  at  rest.  The  hindrances  are: 

ist.  The  limited  amount  of  time  causes  one  to 
raise  the  rifle  too  hastily  and  run  his  eye  too  hastily 
along  the  sights.  By  which  means  one  is  almost  certain 
to  take  too  full  a  front  sight  and  thereby  overshoot, 
unless  the  rifle  be  held  very  low. 

2d.  The  fact  that  in  three  shots  out  of  four  the 
game  is  moving  at  some  angle  to  the  line  of  fire, 
thus  requiring  the  aim  to  be  taken  ahead  of  the 
mark.  From  this  flows — 

3d.  The  difficulty  of  determining  how  much  to 
allow  for  the  motion  of  the  game;  and — 

4th.  To  measure  off  that  amount  of  space  even  if 
you  do  know  how  much  is  needed;  and — 

5th.  While  doing  all  this  and  firing  at  the  point  of 
blank  space  in  which  the  game  will  be  when  the  ball 
reaches  it,  to  preserve  the  proper  elevation;  a  matter 
difficult  enouirh  where  there  is  no  allowance  to  be 


293  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

made  for  motion.  All  the  conditions,  too,  are  constantly 
varying. 

The  best  way  to  obviate  the  first  difficulty  is  to  raise 
the  rifle  slowly,  or  rather  deliberately,  running  your  eye 
along  it  and  catching  a  full  clear  view  of  the  sights 
as  it  comes  up,  concentrating  your  attention  upon  the 
sights  instead  of  upon  the  game.  When  shooting  a 
shot-gun  the  game  is  the  principal  object  of  vision. 
One  scarcely  sees  even  the  gun-barrel,  and  almost  never 
sees  the  sight  upon  it.  The  tendency  to  do  the  same 
with  the  rifle  is  very  strong,  and  in  one  who  is  a 
good  wing-shot  with  the  shot-gun  is  at  first  almost 
irresistible.  But  nothing  is  more  certain  to  cause 
a  miss  at  any  considerable  distance.  Suppose  a  man 
with  a  shot-gun  can  average  nine  rabbits  out  of  ten 
shots,  all  running,  and  all  pure  snap-shots.  Suppose 
the  same  man  can  fire  a  Winchester  at  the  rate  of 
two  shots  a  second  at  a  standing  mark,  shooting 
close  enough  to  place  nine  balls  out  of  ten  in  an 
eight-inch  ring  at  twenty  yards — pure  snap-shooting 
with  the  rifle.  How  many  times  would  the  same 
man  hit  rabbits  inside  of  twenty  yards,  the  rabbits 
all  running  and  the  rifle  being  fired  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  at  the  eight-inch  ring,  or  fired  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  shot-gun  was  fired  to  hit  nine  rabbits 
out  of  ten  ?  The  answer  to  this  problem  as  given  by 
actual  experiment  is  amazing  even  to  one  who  knows 
the  vast  difference  between  shot  and  a  bullet  at  a  sitting 
mark.  I  believe  I  understate  rather  than  overstate  it 
when  I  say  he  would  not  touch  one  rabbit  in  ten,  on 
an  average  of  one  hundred  shots  or  more.  When  at 
a  hundred  yards  or  over,  or  when  at  only  fifty  yards  and 
running  fast,  the  same  aim  that  with  a  shot-gun  would 
kill  fifty  successive  quail  on  the  wing  will  not  suffice 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING   GAME.  299 

to  even  scratch  one  running  deer  out  of  fifty  except 
by  accident. 

The  sights  must  therefore  be  seen  as  plainly  and 
taken  with  the  same  degree  of  fineness  as  in  a  fine 
shot  at  game  standing.  A  certain  amount  of  time 
must  be  lost  in  doing  this.  It  might  better  be  lost 
while  raising  the  rifle  than  at  any  other  time.  For  it 
must  be  lost  anyhow,  and  during  that  time  the  game 
is  getting  farther  away.  Now  if  you  jerk  the  rifle 
hastily  to  the  mark  you  will  find  the  temptation  to 
fire  when  the  sight  first  glimmers  on  the  mark  almost 
irresistible;  and  if  you  do  fire  it  will  almost  certainly 
be  with  too  coarse  or  vague  a  sight.  But  if  you  raise 
the  rifle  deliberately,  looking  for  the  sights  as  it  comes 
up  and  holding  your  eye  firmly  upon  them,  this  danger 
will  not  be  half  so  great.  You  will  have  no  trouble  in 
keeping  sight  of  the  game  all  this  time,  whereas  if 
you  make  the  game  the  first  object  of  vision  you  will 
find  it  very  hard  to  catch  a  clear  sight.  And  if  you 
toss  up  the  rifle  as  you  would  a  shot-gun,  it  will 
actually  take  longer  to  find  the  sight  afterward  than 
when  raising  it  slowly  and  running  your  eye  along  it 
as  it  comes  up.  Moreover,  when  raising  it  slowly  you 
are  much  more  apt  to  raise  it  directly  into  the  spot  at 
which  it  is  to  be  fired,  so  as  to  require  no  adjustment 
or  shifting  afterward;  a  thing  which  is  the  very 
essence  of  all  good  shooting  with  either  shot-gun  or 
rifle. 

In  the  next  place,  if  the  game  is  running  across  the 
line  of  fire  even  at  a  very  acute  angle  the  rifle  should 
be  raised  ahead  of  the  point  you  wish  to  hit.  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  principle  above  stated  (if  the  ball  is 
to  be  fired  ahead  of  the  mark  at  all)  it  is  much  better 
to  raise  the  rifle  at  once  to  the  point  at  which  it  is  to 


300  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

be  discharged  than  to  raise  it  upon  some  other  point 
and  then  shift  it.  For  if  you  raise  it  upon  the  game 
the  temptation  to  fire  then  will  be  too  strong;  and  if 
you  raise  it  behind  the  game  and  attempt  to  shift  it 
forward  you  will  be  tempted  to  fire  when  the  sight 
first  touches  the  animal's  outline.  In  both  cases  you 
will  be  liable  to  shoot  too  high  because  you  will  be 
quite  certain  to  be  too  hasty. 

The  necessity  of  firing  ahead  of  moving  game  has 
been  so  strongly  disputed  by  some  who  are  unquestion- 
ably good  field-shots,  and  the  principle  is  so  essential 
in  shooting  moving  game  with  the  rifle,  that  it  merits 
some  attention.  The  question  is  one  susceptible  of 
positive  proof  by  the  plainest  principles  of  philosophy; 
so  I  will  omit  all  boasting  of  "  experience,"  etc.,  and 
call  upon  an  impartial  arbiter. 

If  two  railroad  trains  were  running  parallel  at  a  hun- 
dred yards  apart  and  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour, 
a  ball  fired  from  one  at  a  mark  upon  the  other  would 
strike  the  mark  the  same  as  if  both  trains  were  at  rest. 
(We  are  supposing,  of  course,  that  the  wind  will  make  no 
difference.)  But  if  one  were  moving  at  only  one  mile  an 
hour,  a  ball  fired  from  that  would  strike  the  other 
train  at  a  point  distant  from  the  mark  aimed  at  just 
twenty-nine  thirtieths  of  the  distance  the  train  fired  at 
moved  while  the  ball  was  passing  a  hundred  yards. 
In  other  words,  the  ball  moves  sidewise  with  the 
lateral  motion  of  the  train  from  which  it  is  fired  at 
only  one  thirtieth  of  the  speed  it  had  when  the  train 
moved  thirty  miles  an  hour  instead  of  one  mile.  The 
ball  in  both  cases  takes  the  diagonal  of  a  parallelogram 
built  upon  the  line  of  fire  a  hundred  yards,  and  the 
line  of  space  the  train  from  which  it  was  fired  moved 
while  the  ball  was  moving  from  train  to  train.  The 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING   GAME.  301 

parallelogram  in  the  second  case  is  only  one  thirtieth 
of  the  width  of  the  one  in  the  first  case. 

Suppose  now  the  train  containing  the  rifle  were  at 
rest,  but  the  rifle  were  a  hundred  yards  long,  or  long 
enough  to  follow  the  mark  and  keep  its  muzzle  against 
it  while  the  ball  was  passing  up  the  barrel.  The  ball 
would  in  such  case  hit  the  mark  although  the  breech 
of  the  rifle  were  at  rest.  Because  in  such  case  the  ball 
is  carried  along  sidewise  by  the  constantly  increasing 
motion  of  the  long  extended  barrel.  And  now  sup- 
pose the  barrel  to  be  only  three  feet  long  instead  of 
three  hundred  feet,  but  following  the  mark  with  the 
line  of  sights.  What  will  then  become  of  the  ball  ?  If 
those  be  correct  who  insist  that  the  lateral  motion  of 
the  gun  in  following  game  is  sufficient,  the  ball  will 
follow  the  same  sidewise  course  as  if  it  were  still  acted 
upon  by  the  constantly  increasing  lateral  swing  of  the 
three-hundred-foot  barrel.  In  other  words,  if  one  half 
of  the  long  barrel  were  slit  off  for  two  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  feet  on  the  side  opposite  the  direction 
the  mark  is  moving,  so  that  the  ball  can  escape  from 
the  side  of  the  barrel  at  any  point  beyond  three  feet 
from  the  breech,  the  ball  will  nevertheless  decline  to 
escape  and  hug  the  other  half  of  the  barrel  as  closely 
as  it  did  when  the  barrel  was  whole.  There  is  no 
possible  escape  from  this  conclusion.  The  ball  must 
take  the  same  course  in  the  half-open  barrel  that  it 
does  in  the  whole  one,  or  it  cannot  get  far  enough  to 
one  side  to  reach  the  mark.  Whether  the  ball  will 
leave  the  opening  or  not  is  an  experiment  any  one 
can  easily  try  by  whirling  a  ball  up  a  tin  tube  slit  off 
in  the  same  way  as  the  barrel. 

For  those  who  like  more  imposing  philosophy  I  add 


302  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

the  following  principles,  which  are  as  firmly  established 
as  the  law  of  gravity: 

ist.  No  body  can  describe  a  curve  unless  constantly 
acted  upon  by  two  forces  one  of  which  must  be  a  con- 
stantly increasing  force. 

2d.  Whenever  a  ball  is  released  from  the  increasing 
force  which  curves  its  course,  its  path  will  at  once 
change  to  a  straight  line. 

3d.  This  line  will  be  a  tangent  to  the  curve  that  con- 
stituted the  path  of  the  ball  before  its  release  from 
the  force  that  curved  its  course. 

4th.  No  tangent  to  a  curve  can  reach  the  same 
place  that  the  curve  itself  would  arrive  at. 

When  a  gun-barrel  is  held  at  the  shoulder  and  moved 
sidewise  in  following  crossing  game  the  muzzle 
moves  much  faster  than  the  breech.  And  the  ball  is 
therefore  subjected  to  a  constantly  increasing  force 
from  one  side.  This  increasing  force  combining  with 
the  forward  motion  imparted  by  the  powder  must  pro- 
duce a  curve,  although  it  is  apparently  a  straight  line. 
If  any  one  doubts  this  let  him  take  a  string,  double  it 
and  loop  it  over  a  nail  on  a  board,  then  holding  the 
two  ends  together  and  moving  them  sidewise  like  the 
pendulum  of  a  clock  run  a  lead-pencil  down  between 
the  strings.  He  will  find  that,  though  the  strings 
be  straight  and  the  path  of  the  pencil  apparently  a 
straight  line,  it  is  actually  a  curve.  Now  how  can 
this  curve  continue  after  the  sidewise  action  of 
the  barrel  ceases  ?  And  how  can  the  ball  reach  the 
game  unless  that  curve  does  continue  ?  There  is  no 
escape  from  it;  the  lateral-motion  advocates  have 
solved  the  problem  of  shooting  around  the  corner 
without  even  bending  the  gun-barrel;  we  have  only  to 
whirl  the  gun  fast  enough  and  around  goes  the  ball; 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING   GAME.  303 

a  little  faster  and  it  will  turn  the  next  corner;  faster 
yet  and  it  will  almost  return  to  "  plague  the  inventor" 
in  the  rear. 

You  can  now  calculate  for  yourself  about  how  far  a 
deer  running  at  a  hundred  yards  will  leave  behind 
him  a  ball  fired  at  a  certain  speed.  The  swing  of  the 
barrel  does  of  course  carry  the  ball  sidewise,  but  it  is 
like  the  motion  of  the  train  going  at  one  mile  an  hour. 
It  is  only  about  one  thirtieth  or  one  twentieth  of  what 
is  necessary.  All  calculations  by  figures  of  the  amount 
of  margin  to  be  allowed  are,  however,  of  little  use  in 
the  field.  A  wheel  rolled  down  a  hill  where  you  can 
see  the  balls  strike,  and  swallows  skimming  along 
water,  etc.,  make  good  targets  from  which  to  get  some 
idea  of  the  distance  necessary  to  hold  ahead  of  moving 
game.  Those  who  deny  the  necessity  of  holding  ahead 
are  pleased  to  stigmatize  as  theorists  those  who  prefer 
an  appeal  to  philosophy  instead  of  talking  about  their 
own  experience  and  sneering  at  the  experience  of  all 
others.  To  those  "  practical  men"  \vho  feel  hard 
toward  "  theorists"  the  rolling-wheel  target  and  the 
swallows  on  water  are  most  respectfully  recommended. 

There  is,  however,  another  element  that  prevents 
the  ball's  reaching  the  mark  in  time.  From  the  in- 
stant your  brain  decides  to  pull  the  trigger  until  the 
ball  escapes  the  rifle  some  time  is  lost.  The  passage 
of  nerve-force  from  the  brain  to  the  finger,  over  four 
feet;  the  fall  of  the  hammer;  the  explosion  of  cap; 
the  evolution  of  the  gas  from  the  powder, — all  these 
take  time.  It  is  indeed  but  a  short  time,  but  it  is 
time  nevertheless.  Take  a  muzzle-loading  rifle  with 
globe-sights  and  set  trigger,  load  with  a  round  ball 
and  so  small  a  charge  that  you  can  see  every  ball 
strike.  Then  let  some  one  with  a  long  string  pull  a 


304  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

small  mark  across  in  front  of  you  at  different  distances 
and  rates  of  speed.  You  will  be  surprised  to  find  at 
how  short  a  distance  you  will  shoot  behind  it  if  you 
hold  the  sights  directly  on  it. 

The  effect  of  these  two  causes  combined  is  much 
greater  than  one  would  suppose  who  has  never  shot  at 
running  game  on  ground  where  missing  balls  can  be 
seen  to  strike.  It  is  so  great  that  there  seems  to  be 
no  point,  however  close,  at  which  holding  ahead  of 
crossing  game  can  be  entirely  neglected  if  the  game  is 
moving  fast.  And  there  seems  to  be  no  motion,  how- 
ever slow,  which  will  permit  such  neglect  if  the  animal 
be  at  any  considerable  distance.  I  do  not  mean  that 
holding  ahead  is  always  necessary  to  insure  hitting  the 
animal,  but  it  is  almost  always  necessary  if  you  wish 
to  hit  the  animal  in  the  best  place.  Nor  is  it  always 
necessary  to  hold  the  sights  clear  of  the  animal's  out- 
line, but  only  ahead  of  the  point  you  wish  to  strike.  But 
when  the  game  is  at  any  distance  or  speed  even  the 
whole  body  will  be  missed,  and  this  even  when  the 
course  of  the  animal  is  only  quartering,  unless  the 
aim  be  taken  ahead.  Hence  holding  ahead  is  always 
safe;  is  generally  expedient;  is  often  indispensable  to 
success. 

There  is,  however,  another  way  by  which  the  same 
result  may  be  attained.  If  the  rifle  be  raised  behind 
the  game,  whirled  rapidly  past  it,  and  fired  as  it  is 
passing,  the  muzzle  of  the  rifle  may  move  sidewise  as 
much  as  an  inch  or  two  from  the  time  your  brain 
gives  the  order  to  pull  the  trigger — which  to  you  ap- 
pears to  be  the  actual  time  of  firing,  though  it  is  not 
— until  the  escape  of  the  ball.  If  one  fifteenth  of  a 
second — a  space  imperceptible  to  the  senses — were 
lost  in  this  way  and  the  motion  of  your  gun-barrel 


THE  RIFLE    ON  MOVING   GAME.  305 

were  at  the  rate  of  thirty  inches  a  second,  it  would 
move  two  inches  sidewise  without  your  knowing  it 
at  all.  Now  an  inch  at  the  gun-muzzle  may  equal 
three  or  four  feet  where  the  game  is.  Consequently 
at  the  time  the  ball  gets  its  final  direction  from  the 
muzzle  the  line  of  the  sights  may  be  several  feet 
ahead  of  the  game  without  your  suspecting  it  and 
while  you  firmly  believe  you  held  on  the  body. 

This  is  a  very  effective  way  of  using  the  shot-gun, 
especially  on  birds  curling  backward  on  either  side  of 
you.  This,  with  the  fact  that  the  scattering  of  shot 
often  renders  holding  ahead  unnecessary  at  short  dis- 
tances, accounts  for  the  reasoning  of  many  who  insist 
that  holding  on  moving  game  is  sufficient  "  if  the  gun 
be  kept  moving." 

But  this  is  a  bad  method  for  shooting  running 
deer,  because — 

ist.  It  is  just  as  necessary  to  regulate  the  speed 
with  which  the  line  of  sight  overtakes  the  animal  and 
to  fire  at  the  right  time  as  it  is  to  select  the  proper 
distance  to  hold  ahead;  and  it  is  quite  as  hard  to 
do  so. 

2d.  In  doing  so  you  cannot  retain  so  well  as  by  the 
other  method  that  clear  and  perfect  view  of  the  sights 
that  is  indispensable  to  avoid  overshooting. 

3d.  And,  worst  of  all,  you  cannot  in  this  way  allow 
so  well  for  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  deer  and  the  inter- 
vention of  trees,  etc.,  in  the  path  of  your  bullet. 

A  running  antelope  is  a  gently  gliding  movement, 
soft,  swift,  and  spiritnellc.  But  little  allowance  need 
ever  be  made  for  its  up-and-down  motion,  and  often 
none  at  all  is  needful.  But  a  running  deer  is  gener- 
ally a  bounding  deer,  often  a  bouncing  deer.  The 
mule-deer  when  running  generally  throws  himself 


306  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

aloft  at  least  two  feet,  and  often  three  feet  or  more, 
at  every  blow  of  his  springy  legs  upon  the  ground. 
The  Virginia  or  white-tailed  deer  runs  indeed  with 
a  graceful  canter,  but  still  rises  fully  the  width  of  his 
body  at  every  spring.  And  here  arises  the  great 
source  of  misses  on  deer  running  straight  away.  If 
the  deer  is  at  any  distance  over  thirty  or  forty  yards, 
allowance  must  be  made  for  this  motion.  But  the 
tendency  is  to  hold  the  sights  upon  the  body  and  fire 
when  it  shows  the  most  conspicuously;  to  wit,  when 
it  is  in  the  air.  The  consequence  is  that  the  ball 
whizzes  through  the  space  the  deer  has  just  left  in  its 
descent.  Sometimes,  however,  one  will  fire  when  the 
deer  is  on  the  ground,  in  which  case  the  ball  gets 
there  as  the  deer  is  rising,  and  either  misses  it  en- 
tirely or  hits  a  leg. 

The  ball  should  be  fired  at  the  point  of  space  the 
deer  will  occupy  when  the  ball  reaches  him.  This 
will  always  involve  some  guesswork,  because  it  is  im- 
possible always  to  calculate  the  right  distance  to  fire 
ahead,  and  it  is  also  impossible  to  hit  with  certainty 
a  blank  point  of  space,  even  if  you  do  know  its  exact 
distance  from  the  mark.  Try  shooting  a  yard  to  one 
side  of  a  bull's-eye  at  a  hundred  yards  on  clean  snow, 
and  see  what  kind  of  a  score  you  will  make  as  com- 
pared with  what  you  could  make  at  the  mark,  and 
you  will  at  once  see  another  reason  why  wing-shoot- 
ing with  the  rifle  will  always  be  quite  a  puzzle. 

The  best  point  at  which  to  fire  is  the  point  at  which 
the  deer  will  reach  the  ground  in  his  descent.  And 
this  can  be  calculated  with  much  more  precision  than 
would  at  first  be  supposed  possible,  although  it  cer- 
tainly involves  much  guesswork.  The  way  it  can  be 
done  most  successfully  I  believe  to  be  the  following: 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING   GAME,  307 

ist.  Raise  the  rifle  ahead  of  the  game,  remembering 
it  is  a  rifle  and  not  a  shot-gun. 

2d.  Raise  it  deliberately,  getting  the  same  fine  clear 
view  of  the  sights  that  you  would  take  at  a  deer  stand- 
ing at  a  hundred  yards;  or  if  you  cannot  do  that,  then 
hold  low. 

3d.  Keeping  your  eye  on  the  sights,  carry  the  rifle 
along  ahead  of  the  deer  until  you  catch  the  motion  of 
the  body  enough  to  see  where  it  will  be  when  the 
hoofs  touch  ground. 

4th.  Fire  at  that  point,  but  fire  when  the  deer  is  in  the 
air, 

The  great  point  is  not  to  be  in  haste.  Be  not  at  all 
alarmed  by  the  fact  that  the  deer  is  getting  farther  off. 
Your  chances  of  hitting  at  a  hundred  yards  with  a 
well  calculated  and  directed  shot  are  better  than  the 
chances  of  hitting  with  three  or  four  careless  ones  at 
fifty  yards.  Place  no  dependence  on  speed  of  fire. 
Even  from  a  repeater,  fire  every  shot  as  though  it  were 
a  single  muzzle-loader.  Speed  of  fire  is  a  splendid 
servant  but  a  wretched  master. 

Of  course  there  will  be  times  when  a  pure  snap-shot 
is  necessary.  At  very  short  distances  snap-shots  will 
of  course  often  hit.  But  never  take  one  even  at  a 
short  distance  unless  another  bound  or  two  will  take 
the  deer  out  of  sight. 

When  in  timber  you  may  be  edified  by  the  whack  of 
your  bullet  into  a  tree-trunk.  Watching  for  an  open 
place  in  timber  is  quite  as  essential  as  any  other  part 
of  the  operation  of  shooting  running  deer.  And  this 
can  be  done  better  if  the  rifle  be  raised  ahead  in  the 
first  instance. 

It  seems  to  be  supposed  by  some  that  shooting  mov- 
ing game  is  much  easier  if  both  eyes  be  kept  open. 


308  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

If  you  will  experiment  with  your  finger  raised  in  line 
with  some  object  you  will  find,  by  opening  and  shut- 
ting each  eye  alternately,  that  only  one  eye  is  used 
in  thus  aligning  your  finger.  This  will  generally  be 
the  right  one.  But  you  will  find  by  further  experi- 
ment that  you  can  soon  train  the  left  one  to  do  the 
same  thing.  And  you  will  find  the  proof  conclusive 
that  the  brain  can  attend  to  the  report  or  nerve  of 
one  eye  as  well  as  the  report  of  both.  It  can 
concentrate  its  attention  upon  the  picture  produced 
upon  the  retina  of  one  eye  alone  and  be  quite  blind 
to  the  picture  upon  the  retina  of  the  other.  This  it 
will  readily  do  in  case  of  the  eye  we  are  most  accus- 
tomed to  use,  but  it  can  be  trained  to  do  the  same 
thing  with  the  other.  The  consequence  may  be  that 
when  the  gun  is  raised  the  eye  that  is  in  line  with  the 
sights  may  receive  the  most  attention  from  the  brain, 
and  the  other  one  may  be  pretty  much  ignored.  If 
you  will  fire  a  rifle  alternately  from  each  shoulder  a 
few  times,  sighting  always  with  both  eyes  open,  you 
will  be  apt  to  conclude  that  such  is  the  case,  and  that 
binocular  or  two-eyed  shooting  is  a  delusion.  Such, 
I  think,  is  the  case  after  a  thorough  trial  of  it.  It  is 
just  as  good  as  one-eyed  shooting,  but  no  better,  and 
nothing  can  be  accomplished  by  it  with  the  rifle  that 
cannot  be  done  with  one  eye.  For  shot-gun  shooting 
it  has  a  few  slight  advantages,  but  for  the  rifle  it  has 
none;  and  I  cannot,  on  crossing  shots,  estimate  so  well 
the  distance  to  hold  ahead  of  game  as  when  using 
one  eye.  Sufficient  practice  would  probably  make 
two  eyes  just  as  good  for  this  purpose  as  one  eye. 

There  are  some  other  rules  given  by  many  good 
hunters  for  shooting  a  running  deer,  two  of  which  are 
maintained  by  so  respectable  a  number  of  good  shots 


My  new  repeater.  Fifteen  shots,  almost  any  one  of  which 
would  have  got  the  game  had  I  had  but  one  shot.  Speed  ot 
lire  is  a  good  servant,  hut  a  bad  master. 


THE  RIFLE   ON  MOVING  GAME.  309 

as  to  be  worthy  of  notice.  They  are  in  fact  the  same 
as  I  have  given,  but  owing  to  bad  observation  and 
carelessness  of  language  are  so  mangled  in  sense  and 
distorted  in  expression  as  to  be  misleading. 

The  first  is,  "  Hold  the  rifle  ahead  of  the  deer,  and, 
when  you  see  him  through  the  sights,  pull." 

This  would  of  course  do  fora  short  distance,  though 
even  there  it  would  probably  place  the  ball  back  of 
the  center  of  the  body;  but  for  any  considerable  dis- 
tance it  will  not  do.  A  swinging  target  with  a  blind 
so  arranged  that  you  can  only  see  the  bull's-eye  when 
it  passes  an  opening  in  the  blind  will  soon  dispel  this 
illusion.  But  the  best  refutation  lies  in  the  rule  itself. 
This  is  holding  on  the  mark  and  not  ahead  of  it.  Why, 
then,  resort  to  such  a  bungling  way  when  it  is  so  much 
easier  to  raise  the  sights  directly  upon  the  deer  ?  Who 
would  think  of  shooting  at  a  bird  in  such  a  way? 
The  fact  is  that  those  who  shoot  in  this  way  pull  the 
trigger  before  the  animal  comes  into  the  line  of  the 
sights.  A  little  practice  at  the  swinging  target  and 
blind  will  show  you  that  you  must  shoot  before.  But 
you  will  at  once  see  how  it  can  easily  appear  other- 
wise to  a  careless  observer. 

The  other  rule  is,  "  Hold  on  the  shoulder  low  down." 
This  will  of  course  do  if  the  deer  is  close  and  is  de- 
scending. This  rule  undoubtedly  originated,  as  did 
the  last  one,  among  hunters  in  the  woods  only. 
No  one  wrho  ever  shot  much  in  the  open  would  so  ex- 
press it.  But  the  fact  here  probably  is  that,  as  in 
the  other  case,  the  trigger  is  pulled  a  trifle  quicker 
than  the  shooter  thinks  it  is. 

If  a  deer  is  trotting  or  running  very  low  you  may 
disregard  the  up-and-down  motion,  though  it  is  bet- 
ter to  allow  for  it  when  vou  can.  A  deer  even  on  a 


310  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

trot  often  rises  considerably.  A  deer  at  full  speed  gen- 
erally hugs  the  ground  like  a  hare.  In  such  case  the 
up-and-down  motion  must  be  disregarded.  After  we 
have  examined  the  question  of  the  flight  of  bullets, 
long-range  shooting,  etc.,  you  will  understand  the 
monstrous  nonsense  of  talking  about  shooting  deer 
on  the  run  at  two  hundred  and  fifty  and  three  hun- 
dred yards  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  is  of  very  little 
use  to  shoot  beyond  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards;  and 
there  is  no  man  who,  taking  all  shots,  can  hit  a  deer 
running  at  that  distance  more  than  once  in  three 
shots,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  one  can  do  that.  All 
the  talk  to  the  contrary  is  based  upon  guessed  instead 
of  measured  distance. 


LONG-RANGE   SHOOTING  AT  GAME.  311 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LONG-RANGE  SHOOTING  AT  GAME. 

THERE  is  probably  no  subject  connected  with  shoot- 
ing about  which  so  much  nonsense  has  been  written 
and  spoken  as  the  distance  at  which  game  can  be 
killed  with  the  rifle.  This  was  bad  enough  in  the 
days  of  muzzle-loaders.  It  has  become  doubly  bad 
in  these  days  of  long-range  and  mid-range  breech- 
loaders. We  now  know  that  such  shooting  as  Cooper 
and  a  host  of  novelists  have  ascribed  to  their  heroes, 
such  shooting  as  we  have  all  in  our  early  days  read 
about  as  being  common  among  the  backwoods  hun- 
ters, was  impossible  with  any  rifle,  and  especially  with 
the  small-bored  rifle  and  round  ball  then  almost  uni- 
versally in  use  among  hunters  in  the  woods.  But 
now  that  rifles  are  found  in  every  shop  that  will  shoot 
into  a  two-foot  ring  at  five  hundred  yards  (under 
target-shooting  conditions  and  care),  it  is  quite  natural 
to  suppose  that  game  can  be  killed  as  a  matter  of  cou  rse 
at  three  or  four  times  the  distance  at  which  it  could 
once  be  done. 

More  game  is  now  killed  at  two  hundred  yards  and 
over  than  was  formerly  killed  at  that  point.  But  this 
is  not  because  of  any  improvement  or  discovery  in 
distant  shooting,  but  because  game  is  scarcer  and 
wilder,  and  more  chances  must  be  taken,  and  because 
the  ease  of  loading  the  breech-loader  and  procuring 
its  ammunition  makes  people  more  liberal  in  expend- 


312  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

ing  ammunition.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  no 
advance  whatever  has  been  made  in  the  art  of  killing 
game  at  long  ranges,  except  in  so  far  as  the  breech- 
loader allows  one  to  fire  more  shots  before  the  game 
gets  too  far  away.  I  say  this  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  the  popular  opinion  is  quite  the  other  way. 

The  old  muzzle-loader  by  the  use  of  a  lengthened 
ball  and  more  powder  could  with  globe-sights  be  given 
a  great  accuracy  at  quite  long  ranges.  This  was  per- 
fectly understood  by  most  of  the  old-time  hunters, 
who  often  went  to  the  annual  "  turkey-shoot"  equipped 
with  a  weapon  that  at  two  hundred  and  three  hundred 
yards  can  hardly  be  beaten  to-day  by  any  of  the 
boasted  breech-loaders.  Many  of  those  who  hunted 
on  open  ground  used  the  "  slug"  or  long  ball,  and 
some  used  it  even  in  the  woods.  Many  long  shots 
were  made  with  it,  and  probably  more  game  was  killed 
at  long  range  out  of  the  same  number  of  shots  than 
is  now  killed  with  the  best  of  modern  rifles  at  the 
same  distance.  They  all  did  plenty  of  boasting  of 
their  long  shooting.  But  from  long-range  shooting 
proper,  such  as  we  are  now  considering,  they  nearly 
always  abstained.  This  was  not  because  they  could 
not  do  it,  but  because  they  soon  learned  that,  what- 
ever their  skill  at  the  target  or  turkey,  at  measured 
distances,  it  was  far  easier  to  get  closer  to  game  than 
to  hit  it  at  long  unmeasured  distances. 

There  are  several  reasons  for  the  extravagant  ideas 
afloat  about  the  distance  at  which  game  may  now  be 
killed. 

ist.  The  incurable  mania  for  gilding  the  gold  of 
simple  truth.  This  afflicts  hunters  as  badly  as  it  does 
fishermen. 

2d.  The   love   of    "  scissorers"  on  a  newspaper  for 


LONG-RANGE    SHOOTING  AT  GAME.  313 

copying  everything  that  savors  of  a  good  fat  "  whop- 
per," such  as  the  stuff  that  has  gone  the  rounds  of  the 
United  States  this  year  about  the  Boers  of  South 
Africa  knocking  over  spring-bocks  at  eight  hundred 
and  nine  hundred  yards  as  a  matter  of  course. 

3d.  Sincere  and  natural  mistake  in  overestimating 
distance,  a  thing  that  scarcely  any  of  us  can  learn  to 
avoid,  and  that  causes  the  oldest  hunter  many  a  miss. 
The  beginner  sees  a  deer  at  a  long  distance,  looking 
more  like  a  small  fawn  than  a  full-grown  deer.  He 
shoots,  and. perhaps  the  deer  falls  at  the  first  shot. 

"  Ge — ra — shus  !  What  a  shot!  Four  hundred 
yards  !"  exclaims  the  delighted  novice.  He  hastens 
to  his  game  without  stopping  to  measure  the  ground. 
He  pants  and  puffs  in  getting  over  it  as  I  have  seen 
older  hunters  do  in  lifting  a  hundred-and-twenty- 
pound  buck  on  a  horse,  trying  to  make  themselves 
believe  it  weighs  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
When  he  reaches  home  the  ground,  still  plainly  seen 
by  Fancy's  eye,  has  expanded  to  four  hundred  and  fifty 
yards.  When  he  comes  to  tell  of  his  wonderful  shot 
he  very  naturally  wants  to  do  himself  full  justice,  and 
so  he  leaves  himself  a  little  margin  of  fifty  yards  more 
for  possible  error.  And  to  the  day  of  his  death  he 
will  sincerely  believe  that  he  killed  that  deer  at  almost 
five  hundred  yards.  And  to  the  day  of  his  death  this 
idea  will  be  a  mental  whirlpool  that  will  suck  in  and 
whirl  out  of  sight  all  the  driftwood  of  contradictory 
facts  that  years  of  later  experience  can  throw  in  his 
way. 

Now  the  novice  was  perfectly  right  in  one  point — 
that  he  made  a  very  long  and  very  fine  shot.  The  deer 
was  only  two  hundred  yards  away,  but  he  was  still 
right  in  calling  it  a  long  shot;  for  notwithstanding 


31-4  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

the  popular  impression  to  the  contrary,  two  hundred 
yards  is  a  long  distance  to  hit  a  deer  even  in  the  most 
favorable  position. 

The  very  swiftest  ball  or  the  most  speed-sustaining 
ball  you  can  fire  from  a  rifle  falls  fast  enough  in  two 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  to  miss  every  deer  or  ante- 
lope at  which  it  is  fired  with  the  sights  set  for  a  dis- 
tance twenty-five  yards  on  either  side  the  animal; 
either  undershooting  or  overshooting  it.  You  will 
find  that  at  three  hundred  yards  a  mistake  of  twenty 
yards  in  your  estimate  of  distance  will  cause  a  miss, 
at  four  hundred  yards  a  mistake  of  fifteen  yards, 
etc.  These  figures  are  of  course  not  exact,  and  will 
vary  with  the  rifle.  But  they  are  not  over  three  or 
four  yards  out  of  the  way  for  the  best  long-range  rifles. 

If  you  doubt  figures  or  anything  that  savors  of 
"  theory,"  put  up  a  target  at  two  hundred  yards  with 
your  rifle  sighted  to  that  point.  Fire  a  few  shots,  re- 
ceding from  the  target  twenty-five  yards  each  time 
and  firing  with  the  same  sight.  But  do  not  try  to  hit 
the  bull's-eye,  but  only  to  discover  the  fall  of  the 
bullet. 

Having  satisfied  yourself  what  the  rifle  will  do, 
find  out  what  you  can  do  in  estimating  distance. 
Try  it  first  in  timber,  making  an  estimate  of  the 
longest  distances  and  then  pacing  them.  Then  try  it 
on  quite  open  and  level  ground,  estimating  and  pacing 
up  to  four  hundred  yards  only.  There  will  be  a  start- 
ling shrinkage  of  conceit  somewhere. 

But  perhaps  you  think  the  faculty  of  judging  dis- 
tance can  be  cultivated.  Of  course  it  can  be  im- 
proved. By  doing  nothing  else  it  might  even  be 
cultivated  to  a  high  enough  state  of  perfection  to  make 
five  bull's-eyes  out  of  six  up  to  four  hundred  yards 


LONG-RANGE    SHOOTING  AT  GAME.  315 

with  the  target  shifted  at  every  shot.  But  with  such 
time  as  one  can  generally  devote  to  that  business  he 
will  be  more  apt  to  miss  the  bull's-eye  five  times  out 
of  six. 

But  suppose  you  are  quite  an  accurate  judge  of 
distance  under  the  above  conditions.  Recollect  there 
is  no  antelope  there  just  ready  to  leave;  no  rifle  in 
your  hand,  with  your  finger  itching  for  the  trigger. 
The  difference  that  this  alone  makes  is  almost  in- 
conceivable. There  is  also  another  tremendous  dif- 
ficulty, the  ever-shifting  conditions  of  ground,  light, 
etc.,  which  occur  in  hunting.  Now  up  hill,  now  down 
hill,  here  through  timber,  there  over  timber,  through 
brush  or  over  brush,  up  canons  and  across  canons, 
over  ridges  and  over  flats,  often  with  scarce  a  second 
to  spare,  judging  distance  in  hunting  is  a  vastly  dif- 
ferent matter  from  what  it  is  on  always  the  same 
kind  of  ground  with  plenty  of  time  and  no  game  in 
sight. 

Moreover,  whatever  your  skill  may  be,  your  gauge 
unconsciously  shifts  with  the  ground.  The  standard 
you  use  on  the  plains  to-day  will  not  do  for  the  foot- 
hills to-morrow;  the  one  you  use  in  the  foot-hills  is 
too  small  when  you  get  upon  the  mountain's  breast; 
this  fails  you  again  when  you  get  among  the  higher 
peaks;  and  when  you  return  to  the  lowlands  you  are 
again  "all  at  sea"  for  a  few  days. 

Speaking  of  the  inside  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  Byron 
says: 

"  Its  grandeur  overwhelms  thee  not; 
And  why  ?     It  is  not  lessened,  but  thy  mind, 
Expanded  by  the  genius  of  the  spot, 
Has  grown  colossal." 


316  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

Who  has  not  felt  this  when  among  the  mountains, 
and  wondered  at  the  ever-changing  deceptiveness  of 
heights  and  distances? 

Traveling  once  with  a  friend  who  was  boasting  of 
his  ability  to  roll  deer  right  and  left  at  five  hundred 
yards  running  or  standing,  and  whom  this  poetry 
failed  to  touch  (as  it  will  the  reader,  being  the  only 
poetry  in  the  book),  I  asked  an  old  surveyor  at  whose 
camp  we  stopped  how  he  could  estimate  distance. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "when  I  stay  several  days  on  one 
kind  of  ground  I  can  make  a  tolerably  fair  guess  on 
short  distances.  But  as  soon  as  I  get  on  a  different 
kind  of  ground  I  don't  know  anything." 

Considerable  practical  skill  may,  however,  be  culti- 
vated up  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  even  three  hun- 
dred yards  on  the  plains,  and  there  are  hunters  who 
can  judge  distance  well  enough  to  hit  an  antelope  at 
two  hundred  yards  three  times  out  of  five  at  the  first 
shot,  all  other  conditions  being  of  course  complied 
with.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  if  any  one  can  do  this 
anywhere  but  on  such  open  ground  as  antelope  fre- 
quent. 

If  you  think  I  underestimate  what  is  good  shooting 
at  two  hundred  yards,  look  over  the  two-hundred-yard 
scores  made  at  matches  by  our  best  target-shots. 
Recollect,  too,  that  these  scores  are  generally  better 
than  can  be  made  by  any  mere  hunter,  the  difference 
being  that  the  hunter  can  generally  shoot  as  well  at 
game  as  he  can  at  a  target,  which  the  mere  target- 
shot  cannot  do.  Remember,  too  that  the  bull's-eye  is 
clear  white  or  black  on  a  bkick  or  white  ground,  is 
eight  inches  in  diameter,  is  always  in  the  same  light, 
position,  etc.,  and  that  its  distance  is  known  to  a  foot 


LONG-RANGE   SHOOTING  AT   GAME.  31? 

and  the  sights  set  exactly  to  it.  The  target-shot  has 
every  advantage,  the  hunter  every  disadvantage. 
These  scores  are  nearly  all  made,  too,  with  globe- 
sights.  Take  the  best  of  these  scores,  and  bear  in 
mind  that  it  takes  a  five  shot  to  hit  an  antelope  with 
certainty,  and  even  that  when  near  the  edge  may  rep- 
resent only  a  crippling  shot;  that  a.  four  shot  will  hit 
only  about  half  the  time,  and  then  probably  cripple 
him;  and  that  all  the  rest  will  be  quite  sure  to  miss 
the  animal  entirely  or  only  break  a  leg. 

"  Shall  I  shoot  from  where  I  am  or  try  to  get 
closer?"  is  therefore  a  very  important  question.  Ex- 
cept upon  quite  level  plains  the  chances  of  getting 
within  two  hundred  yards  are  always  greater  than  the 
chances  of  hitting  beyond  that.  The  chances  of  get- 
ting within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  are  generally 
greater  than  the  chances  of  hitting  beyond  that.  The 
chances  of  getting  within  a  hundred  yards  are  often 
greater  than  the  chances  of  hitting  beyond  it.  I  have 
had  a  pretty  high  degree  of  skill  in  guessing  distances, 
adjusting  sights,  and  hitting  natural  marks  up  to  four 
hundred  yards  or  more.  But  I  am  perfectly  satisfied 
that  if  I  had  never  seen  a  long-range  or  mid-range 
rifle,  if  I  had  hunted  always  with  a  rifle  that  would 
not  shoot  an  inch  beyond  a  hundred  and  twenty-five 
yards,  I  should  have  killed  much  more  game  than  I 
have.  For  that  very  skill  has  beguiled  me  too  often 
into  opening  a  cannonade  when  I  could  easily  have 
gotten  closer.  And  this  even  with  wild  antelope  on 
quite  open  ground. 

For  the  last  three  years  my  rule  has  been  to  shoot 
at  nothing  beyond  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  if  there 
is  an  even  chance  of  getting  closer  to  it,  and  not  to 


318  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

shoot  even  that  far  if  there  is  a  fair  prospect  of  shorten- 
ing the  distance.  I  fully  believe  I  have  gotten  more 
deer  by  it.  I  certainly  know  that  there  have  been  fewer 
broken-legged  cripples.  For  deer  and  antelope  on 
the  plains  fifty  yards  might  be  added  to  this  distance, 
for  elk  another  fifty  yards,  and  for  buffalo  another 
fifty.  Beyond  this  point  you  had  better  make  it  a 
rule  to  get  closer. 

All  this  is  of  course  on  the  assumption  that  the 
game  does  not  see  you.  If  it  sees  you,  longer  shots 
must  often  be  taken.  But  I  have  seen  deer  so  tame 
that  your  chances  of  running  or  even  walking  sixty  or 
seventy-five  yards  closer  were  much  greater  than  the 
chance  of  hitting  at  two  hundred  yards.  And  this, 
too,  when  they  were  looking  directly  at  one.  But 
where  the  game  is  not  alarmed  it  is  a  safer  rule  to 
treat  the  best  long-range  gun  as  if  it  were  a  short- 
range  muzzle-loader,  and  turn  every  point  to  make  a 
sure  shot. 

I  know  that  some  will  disagree  with  this.  I  know 
all  the  stories  about  how  So-and-so  killed  an  antelope 
at  eight  hundred  yards,  and  how  What's-his-name  hit 
a  goose  at  half  a  mile,  and  how  the  other  man  hit  a 
deer  in  the  heart  running  at  five  hundred  yards,  etc. 
etc.  etc.,  ad  infinitum.  I  know,  too,  how  it  all  is  done. 
Nearly  every  one  who  has  played  much  with  a  long- 
range  rifle  has  made  remarkable  shots  at  long  dis- 
tances. I  have  made  my  full  share  of  them.  So  long 
as  these  are  classed  where  they  belong,  as  accidental 
shots,  it  is  well  enough  to  tell  of  them.  But  when  any 
one  attempts  to  draw  conclusions  from  them,  then,  in 
the  name  of  philosophy,  I  protest.  Until  one  can 
make  them  at  least  once  in  ten  trials  at  unmeasured 


LONG-RANGE   SHOOTING  AT  GAME.  319 

distances  they  are  utterly  worthless  to  reason  from, 
even  though  considerable  skill  entered  into  them. 

One  way  in  which  game  is  often  killed  at  long  dis- 
tances is  by  it  standing  for  "sighting  shots"  until  you 
finally  get  its  range.  But  it  is  quite  as  apt  to  jump  at 
every  shot  or  two  just  enough  to  derange  your  calcu- 
lations. And  in  either  case  the  shooter  is  very  apt  to 
forget  all  about  the  number  of  shots  that  did  not  hit. 
Still,  where  it  is  evident  that  game  cannot  be  more 
closely  approached,  this  is  sometimes  an  effective  way 
of  getting  it;  though  the  chances  of  hitting  it  at  all 
are  always  largely  against  you. 

The  delusion  of  long-range  shooting  is  fostered  by 
the  ease  with  which  with  a  long-range  rifle  the  dirt 
can  be  made  to  fly  just  over  or  under  a  distant  object. 
We  shall  see  in  another  place  the  worthlessness  for 
hunting  of  what  is  generally  known  as  the  "  line-shot," 
by  which  is  meant  a  shot  on  a  line  running  up  and  down 
through  the  mark,  and  that  the  only"  line-shot"  worth 
anything  for  hunting  is  on  the  horizontal  line,  the 
hardest  of  all  to  make.  But  it  takes  bull's-eyes  in- 
stead of  line-shots  to  kill  game.  Moreover,  what 
appears  to  be  only  a  few  inches'  deviation  from  the 
distant  mark  is  really  a  few  feet.  And  to  reduce  those 
feet  to  inches  without  measuring  the  distance  will  be 
found  a  little  problem  the  solution  of  which  will  gen- 
erally puzzle  you  until  the  game  gets  weary  of  await- 
ing the  answer. 

The  main  difficulty  of  accurate  long-range  shooting 
cannot  be  obviated  by  telescopic  or  any  other  kind  of 
sights  or  arrangement  of  sights.  The  estimate  of 
distance  remains  the  same  whatever  sight  be  used. 

Whenever  it  is  necessary  to  shoot  beyond  the  point 


THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

blank  of  your  rifle,  discount  your  estimate  of  distance 
about  twenty  per  cent  on  two  hundred  yards,  twenty- 
five  on  three  hundred,  thirty  on  four  hundred  yards, 
etc.  And  whenever  in  doubt  between  two  estimates 
of  distance,  decide  at  once  in  favor  of  the  shorter  one. 
By  letting  long  shots  go  where  there  is  a  prospect  of 
getting  closer  you  will  of  course  lose  some  game. 
But  you  will  get  more  in  the  end. 


THE  EFFECT  OF  RECOIL    UPON  SHOOTING.  321 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE    EFFECT    OF    RECOIL    UPON    SHOOTING. 

IN  the  days  of  heavy  long  barrels  with  light  bullets 
and  moderate  charges  of  powder,  the  days  of  muzzle- 
loaders,  the  recoil,  or  "  kick,"  of  the  rifle  was  so  slight 
as  to  have  little  or  no  effect  upon  the  direction  of  the 
ball.  But  in  these  days  of  short  light  barrels  with 
long  heavy  balls  and  often  heavy  charges  of  powder, 
the  effect  of  recoil  upon  the  direction  of  the  ball  is  so 
decided  that  scarcely  any  point  about  shooting  is 
more  important  than  this  sometimes  is. 

The  true  theory  of  the  recoil  of  a  gun  I  believe  to 
be  this:  The  backward  pressure  of  the  gas  upon  the 
breech  of  the  gun  begins  at  the  same  instant  with  the 
forward  pressure  upon  the  ball.  In  each  case  the 
powder  is  acting  against  inertia  or  weight.  But  the 
inertia  or  weight  of  the  gun,  being  one  hundred  or 
more  times  the  inertia  of  the  bullet,  will  resist  the 
pressure  much  longer  before  yielding  to  it  than  the 
vastly  lighter  bullet  can  resist.  So  that  the  inertia  of 
the  ball  is  overcome  and  changed  into  motion  in  a 
trifling  fraction  of  the  time  in  which  the  inertia  or 
weight  of  the  gun  is  overcome  and  changed  into 
motion.  And  this  great  difference  in  the  time  of 
yielding,  or  in  the  conversion  of  force  into  motion, 
makes  an  immense  difference  in  the  relative  speed  of 
the  two  motions. 


322  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

Suppose  a  fifty-pound  anvil  hung  in  air  by  a  cord 
with  a  hole  bored  in  one  side  that  will  admit  a  bolt  of 
lead  of  the  same  weight  as  the  anvil  itself.  If  the  bolt 
were  fired  from  that  hole  with  a  fuse,  the  anvil  and  bolt 
would  both  move  in  opposite  directions  at  the  same 
rate  of  speed.  This  would  be  the  case  whatever 
amount  of  powder  were  used,  the  increase  in  charge 
only  increasing  the  speed  of  both.  If  now  the  hole 
and  bolt  were  both  gradually  reduced  in  size,  the 
motion  of  the  bolt  would  increase  and  the  motion  of 
the  anvil  decrease  in  the  same  ratio,  until  with  a  small 
enough  buckshot  and  a  few  grains  of  powder  fired 
from  a  short  hole  there  would  be  no  motion  in  the 
anvil  perceptible  to  the  eye  without  instruments. 
And  even  this  small  amount  of  motion  would  not 
begin  until  after  the  escape  of  the  ball. 

Recoil,  therefore,  depends — 

ist.  Upon  the  relative  weights  of  gun  and  projec- 
tile. This  is  the  most  important  condition. 

ad.  Upon  the  time  allowed  for  continuance  of  the 
backward  pressure.  Length  of  barrel  may,  however, 
by  its  additional  weight  cancel  this  effect. 

3d.  Upon  the  quantity  of  gas  evolved  and  quick- 
ness of  evolution. 

Many  brains  have  been  badly  racked  over  the  effect 
of  "  air-pack"  in  the  barrel,  the  "  backward  rush  of  air 
into  the  barrel,"  etc.  etc.  Even  if  there  be  anything 
in  these  ideas,  they  are  of  no  use  for  us  to  consider, 
for  they  cannot  be  obviated  or  allowed  for;  and  we 
therefore  might  as  well  confine  ourselves  to  consider- 
ing those  conditions  that  we  can  control  or  make 
allowance  for. 

It  is  probable  that  in  every  case  where  a  respectable 
load  is  fired  the  gun  yields  slightly  while  the  bullet  is 


THE  EFFECT  OF  RECOIL.  UPON  SHOOTING.  323 

passing  along  the  barrel,  and  actually  moves  back- 
ward before  it  escapes.  But  unless  the  charge  of 
powder  be  excessive,  or  the  ball  be  very  heavy  in  pro- 
portion to  its  caliber,  this  backward  motion  will  be  so 
directly  in  line  with  the  axis  of  the  bore  of  the  rifle 
that  the  ball  will  go  as  true  to  the  line  of  the  axis  as 
if  the  rifle  had  been  solid  as  the  eternal  hills.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  charge  is  excessive,  or  the  ball  very 
heavy  in  proportion  to  the  gun,  and  especially  if  both 
these  causes  conjoin,  two  very  different  effects  may 
result. 

i st.  The  barrel  may  be  thrown  up  or  down,  or  to 
one  side,  before  the  ball  leaves  it,  so  that  the  ball 
starts  into  the  air  on  a  different  line  from  that  in  which 
the  axis  of  the  bore  was  held  when  the  trigger  was 
pulled;  but  still  always  so  exactly  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, and  so  exactly  to  the  same  extent,  that  the  effect 
is  precisely  the  same  as  if  the  gun  had  not  moved  a 
particle,  it  being  only  necessary  to  arrange  the  sights 
so  that  the  axis  of  the  bore  will  point  the  proper  dis- 
tance away  from  the  mark. 

2d.  The  recoil  may  be  so  violent  that  the  barrel  is 
thrown  off  irregularly,  or  not  to  exactly  the  same 
place  every  time,  so  that  the  rifle  will  shoot  wildly. 

The  first  of  these  effects  is  seen  in  many  of  our  very 
best  rifles,  and  does  not  seem  to  interfere  in  the  least 
with  their  accuracy.  The  second  is  seen  in  many  light 
rifles  that  are  overloaded,  and  especially  in  many  of 
the  light  pocket-pistols  made  with  large  caliber,  heavy 
ball,  and  heavy-charged  cartridge.  With  some  of 
these  last-mentioned  rifles  you  cannot  hit  a  deer  at  a 
hundred  yards  more  than  once  in  five  or  six  shots,  and 
with  the  pistols  cannot  hit  a  mule,  much  less  a  man, 
at  fifty  yards  in  half  a  day.  At  the  same  time,  either 


324  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

of  these  may  shoot  perfectly  true  if  loaded  with  small 
charges  and  lighter  balls. 

The  first  kind,  or  the  regular  jump  of  the  barrel  to 
the  same  position,  may  be  either  downward,  upward, 
or  to  one  side,  but  in  most  all  cases  is  apparently  up- 
ward. In  a  nine-and-a-half-pound  Maynard,  seventy 
grains  powder,  thirty-two-inch  barrel,  .44  caliber, 
ounce  long  ball,  that  I  once  owned,  the  recoil  invari- 
ably threw  the  barrel  downward.  A  Sharps  .44 
caliber,  seventy-seven  grains,  eight  and  one  half 
pounds,  round  barrel,  twenty-eight  inches  long,  did 
precisely  the  same  thing.  Both  these  rifles  at  twenty- 
five  yards  threw  the  ball  four  inches  lower  with  the 
full  charge  than  they  would  with  half  a  charge, 
or  than  they  would  throw  a  round  ball  even  with 
full  charge.  On  sighting  the  empty  barrel  with  the 
level  sight,  and  then  looking  through  it,  the  axis  of 
the  bore  was  plainly  seen  to  point  four  inches  above 
the  center,  and  on  the  exact  spot  where  the  balls  fired 
with  half  a  charge  were  massed. 

So  interesting  was  this  question  that  I  once  spent  a 
long  time  in  trying  to  make  these  rifles  kick  in  some 
other  direction,  or  to  vary  in  some  manner  the  per- 
fect regularity  of  their  downward  motion.  I  tried 
hanging  the  muzzle  in  a  scale,  hanging  breech  in  a 
scale,  strapping  them  to  heavy  cross-pieces  under  the 
muzzle  and  breech,  hanging  very  heavy  weights  on 
the  breech  while  the  muzzle  rested  on  a  solid  beam, 
and  having  the  weight  just  touch  the  surface  of  a  pan 
of  water,  with  an  attendant  to  watch  it;  in  short,  every- 
thing I  could  think  of  except  a  vise.  In  no  case,  how- 
ever, could  I  make  them  vary  a  particle.  The  full 
charges  sent  the  bullets  invariably  into  the  same  hole 
— both  these,  especially  the  Maynard,  were  very  ac- 


THE  EFFECT  OF  RECOIL    UPON  SHOOTING.  325 

curate  rifles — just  about  four  inches  below  the  bullets 
with  the  half  charge  and  the  round  balls  with  full 
charge,  all  of  which  also  cut  the  same  hole.  And  the 
strangest  part  of  it  all  was  that  both  to  me  and  my 
attendant  the  rifles  in  every  case  appeared  to  jump 
upward;  and  certainly  did  so,  though  they  must  have 
first  jumped  downward  before  the  ball  escaped  the 
muzzle,  for  of  course  the  barrel  could  not  bend. 
These  results  were  always  the  same  whether  the 
rifles  were  fired  offhand  or  from  rest,  no  matter  in 
what  direction  or  whether  solidly  backed  or  fired 
from  a  suspended  sling.  Yet  this  Maynard  was  so 
accurate  that  I  once  fired  with  it  five  successive  balls 
into  a  four-inch  circle  at  two  hundred  yards. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  light  barrel  when  overloaded 
is  more  likely  to  jump  up  than  down.  A  very  light 
carbine  generally  does;  so  does  a  shot-gun,  especially 
a  double  one,  if  both  barrels  be  fired  simultaneously 
when  heavily  loaded.  So  do  most  all  pistols.  A 
Russian  model  .45  navy  at  only  seven  paces  with 
its  common  cartridge  shot  two  and  one  half  inches 
higher  than  it  did  with  the  heavy  ball  and  some  of  the 
powder  taken  out  and  a  round  bullet  put  in  the  car- 
tridge; yet  this  pistol  was  very  accurate.  Most  all 
pistol-cartridges  are  overloaded,  it  being  necessary 
with  most  of  them  to  aim  at  a  man's  toes  at  twenty 
yards  to  touch  him  at  all;  and  it  is  no  wonder  that 
when  "  the  finest  police  in  the  world  "  shoot  at  a  man 
across  the  street,  the  servant-girl  looking  out  of 
the  attic  of  the  house  behind  him  is  more  apt  to  suffer 
than  the  bifurcated  target.  So  much  do  some  of  these 
pistols  jump  up  that  even  after  building  an  extra 
story  on  the  front  sight  and  cutting  clown  the  back 
one  it  is  almost  impossible  to  prevent  overshooting 


326  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

with  them.  Sometimes  a  pistol  will  also  spring  to 
one  side  as  well  as  up.  A  Wesson's  .32  short- 
barrel  pistol  springs  to  the  side  where  there  is  the 
least  pressure  of  the  hand  on  the  stock — shooting  to 
the  left  when  fired  from  the  right  hand,  and  to  the 
right  when  fired  from  the  left  hand,  and  also  jump- 
ing upward  in  each  case. 

A  double  gun  will  throw  outward  with  each  barrel, 
or  away  from  the  direction  of  the  other  barrel.  I  have 
a  double  rifle  of  which  the  axes  of  the  barrels 
converge  at  about  twenty  yards,  and  on  looking 
through  them  they  can  be  plainly  seen  to  cross. 
With  a  moderate  load  a  rifle  so  built  will  throw  out 
just  about  enough  to  carry  the  two  balls  on  parallel 
lines,  so  that  only  one  sight  is  needed.  But  where  a 
heavy  charge  is  used  this  convergence  is  not  always 
enough,  and  the  rifle  will  require  double  sights.  With 
one  sight  my  rifle  will  throw  each  ball  outward  six 
inches  at  thirty  yards,  and  the  two  sets  of  sights 
diverge  so  as  to  converge  the  axes  of  the  barrels  still 
more  than  they  are  set.  When  one  barrel  is  sighted 
it  points  across  the  line  of  the  bore  of  the  other  at 
about  only  five  paces.  And  yet  each  barrel  is  per- 
fectly accurate  with  its  own  sight.  This  gun  also 
throws  down  a  little  as  well  as  outward.  It  shoots 
a  round  ball  with  great  accuracy,  but  it  will  go 
higher  and  inside  of  the  other  ball,  which  is  about 
one  third  heavier.  It  will  shoot  round  balls  with  a 
single  sight,  and  also  the  heavy  ones  with  a  small 
charge.  It  is  probable  that  any  double  rifle  would, 
for  perfect  accuracy,  require  double  sights  when  large 
charges  were  used  with  heavy  balls,  though  the  bar- 
rels may  be  set  sufficiently  converging  for  light  balls 


THE  EFFECT  OF  RECOIL    UPON  SHOOTING.  32? 

or  heavy  ones  with  light  charges  of  powder.  Double 
sights  are  not  such  a  nuisance  as  one  would  suppose, 
for  after  a  little  practice  the  eye  shifts  at  the  same 
time  the  finger  does,  and  with  as  little  danger  of 
mistake,  so  that  the  quickest  kind  of  running  shots 
may  be  made  with  them. 

From  all  these  facts  important  consequences  flow. 

i st.  A  rifle  or  pistol  may  kick  so  as  to  be  worthless 
unless  lightly  loaded. 

2d.  It  may  be  perfectly  accurate  and  yet  require 
different  sighting  for  different  balls  or  charges. 

3d.  Bullets  and  charges  should  not  be  changed  in 
any  rifle  without  testing  carefully  to  see  the  effect. 

4th.  A  double  gun  may  need  double  sights  for  heavy 
charges. 

5th.  The  force  of  a  ball  may  be  affected  by  the 
yielding  of  the  gun.  The  heavier  the  ball,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  caliber,  the  longer  it  will  take  it  to  pass 
along  the  barrel,  and  consequently  the  longer  the  time 
the  gas  will  have  to  overcome  the  gun's  inertia,  and 
the  greater  will  be  the  loss  of  force  in  recoil  if  the  gun 
yields.  This  becomes  of  some  importance  in  long 
shooting,  especially  with  a  long  heavy  ball;  and  if  the 
gun  be  loosely  or  carelessly  held,  instead  of  well 
backed  by  a  solid  shoulder,  the  ball  may  drop  enough 
below  where  it  should  go  to  miss  a  deer  at  three  hun- 
dred yards  and  even  less. 

6th.  A  gun  may  also  throw  irregularly,  to  one  side 
or  other,  by  being  carelessly  held  or  not  always  held 
alike,  such  as  the  pistol  above  mentioned.  I  have  not 
noticed  this,  however,  in  any  rifle  I  have  owned,  and 
should  pronounce  one  that  would  do  it  as  either  over- 
loaded or  worthless. 

In  buying  a  rifle  this  should  always  be  looked  after, 


328  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

and  before  going  into  the  field  with  any  rifle  it  should 
be  well  tested.  If  its  recoil  is  irregular,  do  not  take 
it;  if  regular,  it  is  just  as  good  as  if  it  did  not  recoil, 
but  the  extent  and  effect  of  its  recoil  must  still  be 
perfectly  understood. 


BULLETS:   EXPLOSIVE,    EXPANSIVE,    ETC,  ' 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  KILLING  POWER  OF  BULLETS.  EXPLOSIVE,  EXPAN- 
SIVE, AND  OTHER  BULLETS.  SLIT  BULLETS.  BUCK- 
SHOT, ETC. 

YOUR  success  in  bagging  your  game  without  much 
exertion  and  labor,  and  often  in  bagging  it  at  all,  will 
depend  largely  upon  the  mere  shape  of  the  bullet  you 
use. 

The  effect  of  a  bullet  depends  of  course  upon  the 
derangement  of  some  of  the  vital  organs  of  the  body 
or  upon  loss  of  blood.  But  this  is  the  ultimate  effect 
— the  one  that  too  often  benefits  only  the  wolf  and  the 
raven.  The  immediate  effect,  or  that  which  most 
benefits  the  hunter,  is  often  as  much  the  result  of  the 
accompanying  shock  to  the  nervous  system  as  of  the 
mere  derangement  of  vital  organs.  In  the  brain  or 
spinal  cord  one  ball  is  about  as  good  as  another.  But 
not  so  in  any  other  part  of  the  body;  not  even  in  the 
heart. 

The  first  requisite  of  a  killing  ball  is  of  course  pene- 
tration. But  after  a  certain  amount  of  that  is  at- 
tained excess  is  superfluous.  All  rifles  of  .40  cali- 
ber or  over,  even  the  small  Winchester,  have  sufficient 
penetration  with  a  solid  ball  to  kill  a  deer  or  antelope 
stone  dead  in  nine  tenths  of  the  positions  in  which 
they  are  generally  found.  And  even  a  much  smaller 
rifle  has  penetration  enough  for  nearly  all  broadside 
shots.  Nearly  every  one  who  has  tried  increasing  the 


330  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

quantity  of  powder  to  increase  the  killing  effect  of  a 
solid  ball  has  been  disappointed,  especially  if  the  ball 
be  very  hard  or  sharp-pointed.  And  many  a  one  has 
yet  to  learn  that  a  hundred  grains  of  powder  behind 
a  long,  tapering,  hardened  ball  is  no  better  than 
seventy  or  sixty  unless  for  raking  shots  on  bears  or 
buffalo.  And  already  many  a  man  who  has  laid  aside 
the  Winchester  '73  model  (forty  grains  of  powder  and 
two  hundred  of  lead  to  .44  caliber)  and  bought 
a  new  "  Centennial  "  model  or  the  model  of  '79  (both 
with  longer  ball  and  more  powder)  has  discovered 
that,  except  for  raking  shots  or  where  the  ball  strikes 
bones  and  turns  or  flattens,  he  has  gained  little  by  the 
change;  the  hundredth  part  of  an  increase  of  caliber 
amounting  to  about  nothing.  And  if  he  should  buy 
a  .44  rifle,  shooting  a  rod  of  lead  a  foot  long  with  half 
a  pound  of  powder  behind  it,  he  would  still  find  no 
difference  upon  all  the  soft  parts  of  an  animal,  espe- 
cially just  behind  the  shoulder.  It  is  often  said  that 
a  small  ball  penetrates  better  than  a  big  one,  "cuts 
sharper,"  etc.  This  seems  unworthy  of  notice.  It 
overlooks  entirely  the  question  of  momentum  or 
crushing  force.  But,  like  the  idea  that  "fine  shot  has 
better  penetration,"  it  is  believed  by  many. 

Essential  as  is  penetration,  something  more  is  need- 
ed. And  that  is  striking  surface. 

Striking  surface  is  given  of  course  by  diameter  of 
the  bullet.  And  this  diameter  may  be  given  in  two 
ways. 

ist.  Normal  diameter  given  by  the  molds. 

2d.  Abnormal  diameter  given  by  the  ball  expanding 
upon  striking. 

Either  of  these  is  sufficient.  But  the  first  requires 
a  rifle  of  very  large  caliber.  The  second  gives  the 


BULLETS:  EXPLOSIVE,    EXPANSIVE,    ETC.  331 

same  killing  power  to  rifles  of  smaller  caliber.  Thus 
a  flat-headed  .44  bullet  will  have  as  much  killing 
power  where  excessive  penetration  is  not  required  as 
a  sharp-pointed  ball  of  .50  caliber.  Th£  sharp  ball 
will  not  spread  at  all  upon  mere  flesh,  while  the  flat- 
headed  one  on  striking  will  spread  at  once  to  more 
than  the  diameter  of  the  other.  Flat-headed  balls 
cannot,  however,  be  shot  accurately  for  any  distance. 
The  head  must  be  only  half  flat  or  rounded  or  merely 
blunt,  and  this  is  rarely  made  blunt  enough  to  flatten 
a  ball  traveling  at  the  low  velocity  of  nearly  all  the 
long  balls,  especially  when  hardened  as  they  generally 
are.  For  a  very  little  tin  makes  a  great  difference  in 
preventing  the  flattening  of  a  ball. 

Of  all  solid  balls  none  flattens  like  the  round  ball 
When  made  of  soft  lead  and  driven  at  a  high  velocity 
this  is  the  most  killing  solid  form  in  which  any  given 
amount  of  lead  can  be  cast,  unless  great  penetration, 
is  needed.  And  when  large  enough  its  penetration  is 
sufficient  for  all  game.  And  this  can  be  much  in- 
creased by  hardening  it. 

The  flattening  power  of  any  ball  may  be  vastly  in- 
creased by  making  a  hole  in  the  front.  This  is  com- 
monly called  the  "  express  ball."  An  express  ball  is, 
however,  more  properly  a  short  swift  ball  fired  with 
an  enormous  charge  of  powder,  and  may  be  hollow 
or  not. 

The  killing  effect  of  a  ball  is  largely  influenced  by 
its  velocity.  And  this  entirely  aside  from  the  question 
of  penetration.  Velocity  increases  the  flattening  and 
also  the  rotation  of  the  ball;  which  latter  has  a 
decided  tearing  effect.  A  .44  round  ball  with  ten 
grains  of  powder  will  make  in  a  rabbit  a  hole  but  a 
trifle  larger  than  itself,  and  if  through  the  "paunch" 


332  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  rabbit  can  often  run  away  with  the  wound.  But 
seventy  grains  behind  the  same  ball  will  cut  the  rabbit 
half  in  two.  A  Winchester  '73  model  will  decapitate 
a  rabbit  with  its  two  hundred  grains  of  lead  and  forty 
grains  of  powder  almost  as  completely  as  an  ax  would 
do  it.  Open  a  cartridge  and  take  out  five  sixths  of 
the  powder  and  the  ball  will  barely  get  through  the 
rabbit's  head,  leaving  it  almost  uninjured  outside  of 
a  hole  of  its  own  diameter.  This  difference  is  prob- 
ably due  to  the  difference  in  the  spinning  motion  of 
the  ball  as  much  as  to  the  difference  in  flattening. 

It  is  said  that  at  too  high  a  velocity  a  ball  will  not 
flatten  as  much  as  at  a  low  one,  as  a  tallow  candle  at 
a  high  velocity  will  pass  through  a  board  without 
flattening.  This  is  true  only  where  the  ball  is  fired 
through  a  thin  resisting  medium.  At  a  high  velocity 
the  candle  will  cut  a  smaller  hole  through  a  half-inch 
board  than  when  at  a  low  velocity.  But  if  fired  at 
high  velocity  through  something  thick,  like  a  beam  or 
several  boards,  the  hole  will  be  not  only  deeper  but 
larger  at  the  bottom  than  when  the  velocity  is  low. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  bullet.  A  ball  grazing  a  deer 
an  inch  or  two  deep  will  perhaps,  aside  from  the  cut- 
ting power  of  increased  rotation  of  ball,  cut  a  smaller 
hole  at  a  high  velocity  than  it  would  at  a  moderate 
speed.  But  where  the  body  has  any  considerable 
thickness,  so  that  the  ball  has  more  time  to  expand, 
the  higher  velocity  will  tell. 

I  have  heard  good  hunters  maintain  just  the  reverse 
of  this;  to  wit,  that  too  much  powder  would  make  the 
ball  flatten  so  as  to  stop  its  penetration.  There  is 
nothing  in  this.  The  penetration  of  a  ball  that  will 
flatten  at  all  to  any  useful  extent  depends  upon  its 
momentum;  that  is,  its  weight  and  velocity.  Its  pen- 


BULLETS:  EXPLOSIVE,    EXPANSIVE,    ETC    333 

etration  is  more  of  a  crushing  force  than  a  piercing 
force  like  that  of  the  sharp-pointed  balls.  And  the 
higher  its  velocity  the  farther  in  it  gets;  provided  it 
be  solid  or  have  not  too  large  an  expansion-hole  in 
front. 

It  is  thought  by  many  that  a  ball  that  lodges  in  an 
animal  is  more  effective  than  if  it  passes  through;  as 
the  nervous  system  then  receives  the  whole  shock  of 
the  ball.  This  is  often  a  mistake  of  effect  for  cause. 
The  ball  does  not  kill  better  because  it  stops.  It 
stops  generally  because  it  has  greater  killing  power; 
to  wit,  its  expansive  power.  A  ball  having  enough 
extra  force  to  tear  its  way  entirely  through  an  animal 
and  continue  its  flight  must  leave  about  the  same 
amount  of  force  in  the  animal  as  if  it  had  only  force 
enough  to  get  just  through. 

As  a  rule,  it  is  best  to  have  balls  pass  through, 
especially  solid  balls.  From  the  entrance-hole  of  a 
small  bullet  the  animal  bleeds  little  or  none,  and  the 
flesh  on  the  side  where  the  ball  stops  will  be  badly 
bloodshot.  If  it  goes  through  you  will  be  more  apt 
to  have  the  aid  of  blood  to  help  you  track  the  animal 
if  wounded;  it  will  also  bleed  out  much  quicker  and 
be  much  less  injured  by  settling  of  blood. 

Where  great  penetration  is  needed  it  had  better  be 
given  by  hardening  a  ball  with  tin  than  by  sharpening 
its  point.  As  much  as  twenty-five  or  thirty  per  cent 
of  tin  may  bemused  without  injuring  the  rifle-grooves 
by  an  ordinary  amount  of  use.  A  ball  of  terrific  pen- 
etrating power  may,  however,  be  made  as  follows: 
Take  a  long  bullet  and  cut  it  in  two  just  below  the 
point  where  it  rides  the  grooves  by  rolling  it  under  a 
sharp  knife-blade.  Then  drill  or  bore  a  large  hole 
through  the  butt-piece,  replace  it  in  the  molds,  and 


334  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

pour  through  the  hole  a  hot  mixture  of  equal  parts  of 
Babbitt-metal  and  tin.  A  mold  for  casting  points  like 
this  may  be  easily  made  by  half-filling  the  upper  part 
of  common  molds  with  two  pieces  of  brass  or  iron 
brazed  in.  The  points  may  then  be  put  in  another 
mold  and  lead  poured  around  them.  But  you  can 
easily  make  all  you  need  by  the  other  method.  From 
a  .4o-caliber  rifle  with  sixty  grains  of  powder  I  once 
shot  one  of  these  through  two  cast-iron  stove-griddles 
and  two  jawbones  of  an  ox  all  wedged  together  in  a 
box,  and  the  ball  got  through  the  other  side  of  the 
box.  Such  balls  are,  however,  of  no  use  for  ordinary 
hunting. 

It  is  not  many  years  since  the  English  sportsmen  in 
India  commenced  using  a  short  cylindrical  ball  with  a 
hole  or  well  in  the  front,  instead  of  the  ponderous 
round  balls  and  solid  bolts  they  had  before  used  for 
tigers  and  other  dangerous  game.  These  were  some- 
times made  explosive  by  the  insertion  of  a  cartridge 
of  some  kind  in  the  hole.  Others  were  fired  without 
any  explosive  filling,  leaving  the  ball  to  fly  open  with 
its  own  force  upon  striking. 

Some  of  the  British  sportsmen  brought  their  rifles 
to  this  country  on  hunting-trips,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  some  of  our  own  countrymen  tried  these 
bullets. 

As  about  every  other  great  improvement,  extrava- 
gant nonsense  was  soon  told  about  them.  "  Blowing 
open  the  head  of  a  grizzly-bear"  with  a  .22-caliber 
pistol-cartridge  inserted  in  the  ball,  as  if  the  head 
were  a  snuff-box,  "  pulverizing"  heads  as  if  they  were 
puff-balls,  were  among  the  least  marvelous  of  the  ef- 
fects attributed  to  them.  Some  discoursed  of  "  ex- 
press shock"  as  if  the  ball  were  a  condensed  thun- 


BULLETS:  EXPLOSIVE,. EXPANSIVE,  ETC.     335 

derbolt  suddenly  released  in  an  animal's  body; 
others  talked  of  the  velocity  being  so  terrific  as  to 
"drive  the  ball  into  perfect  dust."  Still  others,  with 
that  marvelous  love  the  human  mind  has  for  paradox, 
discovered  that  the  smaller  these  bullets  were  the 
more  terrific  and  killing  was  "the  express  shock." 

This  improvement  soon  suffered  the  fate  of  every 
good  thing  that  is  overrated,  and  detractors  arose. 
Many  old  hunters  on  the  plains  and  in  the  moun- 
tains denounced  them  as  worthless  for  game  of  any 
considerable  size.  Even  foreigners  gave  the  same 
verdict;  one  Scotch  gentleman,  returning  from  a 
Rocky  Mountain  tour,  comparing  in  the  Forest  and 
Stream  their  effect  on  a  grizzly-bear's  shoulder  to  "  so 
many  humblebees."  Men  like  Col.  Judson  and  J.  H. 
Batty,  who  had  seen  them  tried  and  tried  them  them- 
selves, men  who  certainly  cannot  be  accused  of  igno- 
rance, pronounced  them  inferior  for  general  use  to  the 
solid  ball. 

For  years  a  voice  within  which  I  took  for  the  voice 
of  humanity,  but  which,  judging  from  the  fashion  of 
the  day,  must  have  been  the  voice  of  folly,  had  said  in 
thunder-tones:  "  If  you  are  going  to  kill  an  animal  at 
all,  kill  it.  Don't  torture  it."  No  sooner  did  I  hear 
of  this  improvement  than  I  adopted  it.  I  have  shot 
about  three  hundred  deer  with  balls  so  made,  have  ex- 
perimented with  it  in  various  ways,  and  must  say  most 
decidedly  that  while  it  is  absurdly  overrated  it  is  still 
the  most  valuable  improvement,  next  to  the  breech- 
loading  principle,  that  has  been  made  in  rifles  within 
the  century. 

I  first  made  them  explosive  by  inserting  in  the  hole 
a  .22  long  pistol-cartridge  with  the  bullet  either  cut 
off  or  taken  out  and  replaced  with  more  powder. 


3'66  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

The  same  thing  may  be  done  by  dropping  a  very 
small  nail  into  the  hole  head  first,  filling  it  around 
with  powder,  and  putting  a  tight-fitting  cap  on  the 
nail  and  covering  with  wax,  etc.  These  will  explode 
on  the  softest  flesh  and  even  on  water.  An  eight- 
pound  jack-rabbit  standing  on  his  hind-legs  and 
struck  in  the  middle  was  distributed  in  a  hundred 
pieces  for  thirty  feet  around,  not  a  piece  big  enough 
to  fry  being  left.  Firing  into  the  water  just  below  a 
mud-hen  a  .22  cartridge  in  the  ball  raised  it  five  feet 
out  of  water  and  broke  its  back,  one  wing,  and  one  leg, 
though  none  of  the  ball  touched  it.  From  such  a  ball 
I  very  naturally  expected  tremendous  results. 

One  of  the  first  things  I  observed  was  that  upon 
deer,  coyotes,  wildcats,  and  foxes  the  explosion  pro- 
duced no  such  effect  as  it  did  upon  hares.  Though 
the  balls  could  be  distinctly  heard  to  explode  and  the 
flesh  found  blackened  with  the  powder,  there  was  no 
blowing  or  rending  effect  whatever.  The  hole  was 
precisely  the  same  as  that  made  by  the  same  ball 
left  with  the  hole  unfilled  by  anything.  The  killing 
effect  appeared  upon  deer  to  be  even  a  trifle  less,  and 
the  penetration  of  the  non -explosive  ones  was  percep- 
tibly the  best.  Determined  to  thoroughly  probe  the 
subject,  I  bored  out  some  long-range  .44  balls  so  as 
to  admit  a  .32  long  cartridge.  Two  of  these  I  tried 
on  an  ancient  Thomas-cat  that  had  outlived  his  use- 
fulness. Neither  upon  the  shoulders  nor  upon  the 
head  could  I  discover  any  blowing  or  rending  what- 
ever, though  the  hole  was  blackened  by  powder.  The 
hole  was  large  and  constantly  expanding;  but  was 
merely  cut  the  same  as  the  empty  balls  would  do  it. 
Blocks  of  dry  cottonwood,  straight-grained,  one  foot 
long  and  about  eight  inches  in  diameter,  that  one  blow 


BULLETS:  EXPLOSIVE,  EXPANSIVE,  ETC.     337 

of  an  ax  would  split  in  two,  I  utterly  failed  to  split  or 
even  crack.  With  eighty  grains  of  powder  the  balls 
penetrated  only  some  four  inches  and  were  torn  in 
splinters,  while  the  hole  was  blackened  with  powder. 

The  reason  of  this  will  be  readily  seen.  A  Win- 
chester '73  ball — two  hundred  grains  of  lead  and  forty 
of  powder,  caliber. 44 — ball  quite  flat-headed,  will  split 
a  rabbit  completely  in  two  with  a  raking  shot,  or  cut 
it  half  in  two  with  a  broadside  shot.  But  through  a 
deer,  a  wildcat,  coyote,  or  other  tough  animal  it  will 
make  a  hole  but  a  trifle  larger  than  itself.  A  fire- 
cracker fired  in  a  glass  vial  left  uncorked  will  split 
the  vial  in  a  hundred  pieces  if  it  be  very  thin,  but 
will  not  even  crack  it  if  it  be  tolerably  thick  like  a 
small  ink-bottle.  The  difference  in  the  first  case  is  of 
course  in  the  toughness  of  the  flesh,  in  the  second  in 
the  toughness  of  the  glass.  The  tough  bottle  resists 
the  gas  long  enough  to  allow  its  excess  of  pressure 
to  escape  at  the  mouth.  In  the  same  manner  tough 
flesh  resists  the  pressure  long  enough  to  allow 
the  gas  to  escape  around  and  behind  the  bullet.  And 
in  the  case  of  the  bullet  the  pressure  of  gas  is  also  re- 
lieved by  the  ball  cutting  a  large  and  increasing  hole 
in  front  about  as  fast  as  the  gas  can  fill  it.  Continued 
experiment  and  observation  convinced  meat  last  that, 
unless  filled  with  some  violently  detonating  powder 
that  would  be  too  dangerous  to  use,  a  ball  is  actually 
better  to  be  left  merely  hollow. 

The  reason  of  this  is  the  lack  of  penetration  of  explo- 
sive balls.  In  an  average  of  over  fifty  shots  at  game, 
as  shots  must  now  be  taken,  penetration  is  about  as 
essential  as  anything.  To  contain  enough  of  any  ex- 
plosive that  could  be  safely  used  the  hole  in  the  front 
of  the  ball  must  be  both  large  and  deep.  In  any  ball 


338  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

of  moderate  caliber  this  would  leave  the  rest  of  the 
ball  so  thin  that  when  it  explodes  there  is  nothing  but 
splinters  from  the  sides  and  a  light  butt.  If  fired 
empty  it  will  fly  into  flinders  upon  striking,  and  upon 
such  solid  parts  as  the  haunch  of  a  deer  will  tear  a 
bad  flesh-wound  and  often  let  the  deer  get  away  on 
three  legs.  When  made  explosive,  the  explosion,  which 
begins  at  the  depth  of  about  half  an  inch,  retards 
it  much  more,  not  only  by  backward  pressure,  but  by 
opening  the  ball  faster  than  it  otherwise  would  open. 
By  exploding  around  the  feet,  explosive  balls  are  also 
much  more  certain  to  alarm  game  that  might  stand 
until  you  get  its  range  by  seeing  the  balls  strike. 

Much  better  in  the  long-run  is  the  ball  made  sim- 
ply expansive  by  a  hole  in  front.  It  is  common  to 
place  in  this  hole  a  hollow  copper  tube,  filled  with 
tallow  or  wax.  All  of  which  is  idle  toil.  The  effect 
is  precisely  the  same  with  nothing  in  them.  The 
accuracy  is  the  same  up  to  all  ranges  at  which  h  is 
worth  while  to  shoot  at  game  at  all.  Beyond  those 
ranges  they  will  all  turn  over  butt  foremost.  No 
difference  is  perceptible  between  the  accuracy  of  balls 
cast  hollow  and  solid  ones,  except  of  course  at  long 
range.  The  extent  to  which  a  ball  shall  expand  is  a 
very  important  question.  A  ball  may  be  made  to 
fly  into  pieces  so  small  that  you  can  scarcely  find  one 
in  an  animal.  Or  it  may  be  made  to  break  up  into 
six  or  eight  or  ten  pieces.  Or  it  may  be  made  to  sim- 
ply spread  out  like  a  mushroom  without  breaking. 
Or  it  may  be  cast  so  as  to  merely  increase  its  diameter 
about  one  half,  etc. 

By  many  the  expansion  of  a  ball  is  supposed  to  de- 
pend upon  its  velocity.  Up  to  a  certain  point  this  is 
of  course  true.  But  beyond  that  point  it  depends 


BULLETS:  EXPLOSIVE,  EXPANSIVE,  ETC.     339 

almost  entirely  upon  the  diameter,  depth,  and  shape  of 
the  hole  in  its  front.  If  a  ball  be  made  with  a  wide  deep 
hole  as  wide  at  the  bottom  as  at  the  top,  so  that  the 
wall  of  lead  around  the  hole  is  thin,  stands  only  on  a 
thin  butt  and  has  only  a  thin  attachment  to  that  butt, 
it  will  fly  into  flinders  the  instant  it  strikes  the  softest 
flesh,  even  if  the  velocity  be  quite  moderate.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  hole  be  small,  shallow,  and  tapering 
to  a  point  at  the  bottom,  the  ball  cannot  be  driven 
into  splinters  by  any  velocity  that  can  be  given  it.  It 
will  merely  fold  back  over  its  base  like  a  mushroom. 
Bone  of  course  would  splinter  it  somewhat,  as  it  would 
a  solid  ball.  But  upon  soft  flesh  it  would  not  splinter. 

The  effect  of  these  different  balls  can  be  almost  pre- 
dicted. Suppose  you  have  a  fair  shot  at  an  animal, 
and  hit  it  behind  the  shoulder,  in  the  chest,  or  in  the 
kidneys  with  the  first  bullet.  The  effect  of  a  ball 
thus  dashed  into  a  hundred  splinters  upon  the  most 
vital  organs  must  be  terrific.  We  can  readily  see  how 
persons  can  talk  of  the  terrific  effect  of  "express 
shock"  upon  even  such  an  animal  as  the  tiger.  It  is 
practically  a  charge  of  small  shot  fired  directly  into 
the  seat  of  life. 

But  suppose  you  do  not  have  a  fair  shot,  and  you 
strike  your  animal  where  penetration  is  necessary. 
Suppose  your  little  hollow  ball  hits  a  bone  heavy 
enough  to  tear  a  solid  ball  in  two.  What  then  ?  As 
there  is  a  limit  to  the  penetration  of  fine  shot  beyond 
which  no  powder  can  drive  it,  so  is  there  a  limit  to 
the  penetration  of  ball-splinters  to  pass  which  no 
"express"  power  will  avail.  If  the  ball  is  to  pene- 
trate or  crush  very  far,  it  must  have  momentum.  To 
have  momentum  it  must  have  weight.  To  have 
weight  it  must  hold  together. 


340  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

Here  is,  I  think,  the  whole  ground  of  disagreement 
about  these  bullets:  A  thing  once  highly  praised  is 
soon  fancied  good  for  everything.  Found  not  good 
for  everything,  the  natural  conclusion  often  is  that  it 
is  good  for  nothing. 

I  very  soon  found  that  the  killing  power  of  such 
balls  upon  an  animal  struck  in  or  very  near  the 
right  place  was  immensely  greater  than  that  of  solid 
balls,  that  they  were  but  a  trifle  better  upon  "paunch- 
shots"  and  not  as  good  upon  "  haunch"  and  "stern 
shots"  as  the  same  ball  solid.  I  lost  deer  struck 
in  both  places,  and  even  a  half-grown  fawn  I  fol- 
lowed for  over  two  miles,  though  a  ball  had  exploded 
exactly  in  the  center  of  its  body.  As  one  may  shoot 
twenty  successive  deer  with  a  .35-caliber  solid  ball  and 
drop  them  all  inside  of  a  hundred  yards,  so  one  may 
shoot  as  many  with  one  of  these  balls  and  see  most  all 
of  them  wilt  like  wet  rags  almost  in  their  tracks. 
From  such  data  the  reflective  hunter  reasons  not.  He 
well  knows  that  two  hundred  shots  might  tell  a  very 
different  tale,  and  that,  year  in  and  year  out,  pene- 
tration is  just  as  essential  as  striking  surface. 

The  ball  made  with  a  small  tapering  hole  will  not 
produce  such  instantaneous  death  upon  striking  the 
vitals  as  does  the  ball  that  flies  to  pieces.  But  as  it 
nearly  doubles  its  diameter,  its  effect  is  about  four 
times  what  it  would  otherwise  be.  And  this  is  quick 
enough  upon  all  the  vitals  of  ordinary  animals.  Such 
a  ball  can  also  be  given  all  the  penetration  that  is 
necessary  for  ordinary  animals.  For  unusually  large 
animals  they  must  be  vastly  superior  to  the  more 
hollow  ones. 

Making  a  ball  expansive  does  not,  however,  com- 
pletely compensate  for  smallness  of  caliber.  For 


BULLETS:  EXPLOSIVE,  EXPANSIVE,  ETC.     341 

penetration  and  crushing  force  it  must  positively 
have  actual  weight.  A  pound  of  powder  could  not 
drive  a  ten-dollar  gold  piece  much  over  two  or  three 
inches  into  solid  flesh,  striking  of  course  with  its  flat 
surface.  And  lead  is  only  about  half  the  weight  of 
gold.  There  must  be  weight  behind  to  force  the 
widening  front  of  an  expansive  ball  through  solid 
flesh,  or  even  through  the  contents  of  the  stomach. 
Now  if  the  ball  be  made  long  so  as  to  give  this  weight 
to  a  small-calibered  rifle,  you  lose  much  of  the  velocity 
which  is  so  essential  to  a  good  trajectory  as  well  as  to 
the  rotatory  and  cutting  power  of  the  ball,  etc. 

The  killing  power  of  all  long  bullets  is,  however, 
vastly  improved  by  making  a  hole  in  them.  But  the 
quantity  of  powder  must  be  increased  where  it  is 
small,  as  expansion  checks  the  penetration  immensely. 
To  increase  much  the  efficiency  of  such  a  bullet  as 
the  Winchester  '73  model,  the  hole  should  be  small 
and  tapering  and  hardly  half  way  through  the  ball; 
but  then  it  should  shoot  at  least  a  hundred  grains  of 
powder  instead  of  forty  grains.  The  Winchester 
"  Centennial"  would  be  improved  in  the  same  way 
without  any  increase  of  powder,  because  it  has  a  much 
longer  ball.  All  the  rifles  on  the  market  shooting 
long-  or  mid-range  balls  with  seventy  or  eighty  grains 
or  more  of  powder  can  be  much  improved  in  this  way, 
though  all  would  be  much  better  to  have  more  powder 
and  a  shorter  ball  with  smaller  hole. 

The  hole  in  the  ball  is  generally  made  by  a  plug  in- 
serted in  the  molds.  A  hole  equally  good  can,  how- 
ever, be  made  with  a  gimlet  or  awl,  unless  you  want  a 
large  deep  hole.  The  ball  can  be  replaced  in  the  mold 
and  bored  through  a  hole  at  the  front  end.  Or  it  can 
be  bored  more  true  by  having  a  guide-hole  bored  in 


342  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  "  loader,"  into  which  you  can  run  a  gimlet  and 
bore  into  the  ball  after  it  is  loaded  in  the  shell. 

A  round  ball,  if  large  enough,  makes  a  splendid  ex- 
pansive ball,  being  most  truly  "  express"  up  to  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards.  For  the  reasons 
before  given  it  must,  however,  be  large  so  as  to  have 
penetration  enough.  The  hole  must  also  be  made 
more  flaring  at  the  entrance  than  in  the  other  balls,  or 
it  may  slip  through  without  expanding  at  all. 

I  have  tried  very  large  and  very  small  holes  in  both 
long  and  round  balls,  and  am  satisfied  that  there  is  no 
way  in  which  a  ball  can  be  made  to  first  penetrate 
well  and  then  fly  to  pieces.  Its  flying  into  splinters 
depends  so  entirely  upon  its  shape  that  it  will  fly  at 
an  inch  or  two  of  depth  no  matter  what  its  velocity. 
And  if  it  be  made  with  a  very  small  hole  it  cannot  be 
driven  into  "splash"  upon  mere  flesh. 

I  have  tried  and  am  still  trying  to  so  shape  a  ball 
that  it  will  expand  upon  the  stomach  and  soft  parts  of 
an  animal,  yet  penetrate  the  solid  muscle,  etc.,  without 
expansion.  The  results  are  not  wholly  satisfactory. 
Hollow  balls  can  be  so  made  as  to  penetrate  wood 
without  expansion,  yet  expand  upon  water.  But  they 
all  tend  to  expand  upon  flesh  if  the  hole  be  of  any 
size;  and  if  too  small,  to  slip  through  without  spread- 
ing. 

A  ball  well  hardened  with  tin  is  much  less  likely  to 
break  up  than  one  of  soft  lead.  But  if  the  hole  be  too 
large  the  very  hardest  ones  will  splinter  at  once. 

Deer  are  occasionally  still-hunted  with  buckshot  in 
siiot-guns.  It  is  a  wretched  apology  for  the  rifle,  and 
the  distance  at  which  deer  can  be  killed  with  buckshot 
is  vastly  overrated.  Even  at  forty  yards,  with  ordinary 
guns,  two  are  crippled  to  one  that  is  killed.  Neither 


BULLETS:   EXPLOSIVE,  EXPANSIVE,  ETC.     343 

Ely's  wire  cartridges  nor  any  mode  of  loading  buck- 
shot can  remedy  this  very  much.  Of  the  cartridges 
over  one  half  will  either  go  like  a  solid  ball  and  miss 
generally  entirely,  or  they  will  go  like  loose  buckshot. 
Not  one  half  will  go  as  they  are  intended  to  go;  and 
when  they  do,  they  do  not  add  much  over  twenty-five 
yards  to  the  range  of  the  gun.  The  killing  effect 
of  a  single  buckshot  is  not  to  be  compared  to  the 
effect  of  a  rifle-ball  of  the  same  size.  It  lacks  both 
the  velocity  and  flattening  quality  and  the  cutting 
power  of  the  rotation.  Buckshot  kill  only  by  their 
number  or  by  the  accidental  striking  of  a  vital  part; 
generally  both  conditions  are  necessary.  The  temp- 
teition  to  shoot  with  them  at  deer  too  far  off  is  almost 
irresistible.  And  the  certainty  of  crippling  is  about 
in  inverse  proportion  to  the  probability  of  killing  with 
them.  Before  a  pack  of  hounds  or  for  close  night- 
shooting  the  gun  may  be  tolerated.  For  still-hunting 
its  use  is  an  outrage  and  a  sin. 

I  have  never  tried  bullets  slit  or  sawed  into  pieces 
half  way  to  the  center.  Where  great  penetration  was 
not  needed  they  would  doubtless  be  better  than  the 
solid  ball.  But  they  would  be  hard  to  make  well,  and 
could  not  give  the  same  striking  surface  as  if  made 
with  the  proper-shaped  hole  in  front.  Neither  could 
one  made  with  an  expansion-hole  in  the  rear.  Such  a 
one  would  doubtless  expand  upon  bone  or  a  solid  mass 
of  muscle  like  the  haunch.  But  almost  any  ball  will 
expand  enough  on  such  parts.  And  they  are  pre- 
cisely the  parts  where  much  expansion  is  rather  un- 
desirable. 


344  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE    HUNTING-RIFLE,    AND    FLIGHT    OF    BALLS. 

So  much  space  has  already  been  and  still  must  be 
devoted  to  more  important  matters — matters,  too, 
upon  which  you  will  find  little  or  no  information  else- 
where— that  the  subject  of  the  best  hunting-rifle  must, 
like  the  care  and  management  of  the  rifle,  in  next 
chapter,  be  passed  by  with  the  briefest  mention  of  a 
few  important  points.  To  properly  discuss  such  sub- 
jects requires  almost  a  volume  of  itself;  and  as  they 
are  already  somewhat  discussed  in  works  now  extant, 
we  must  subordinate  them  to  the  principles  of  field- 
hunting  and  field-shooting. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  the  action  of  your  rifle,  as  is 
also  the  question  of  repeater,  single-loader,  or  double 
barrel,  is  largely  a  matter  of  taste.  All  actions  are 
strong  enough  and  durable  enough.  The  quickness 
and  ease  of  the  action  you  can  yourself  decide  as  well 
as  any  one.  All  hunters  have  their  preferences,  and 
all  have  a  peculiar  weakness  for  their  favorites  that 
makes  their  opinions  as  to  the  best  rifle  nearly  worth- 
less. Different  rifles  are  "  all  the  rage"  in  different 
sections  of  country,  and  scarcely  anything  else  is 
worth  having.  And  this  according  to  the  opinion  of 
the  ablest  shots  and  hunters. 

All  American  "  sporting"  rifles  now  shoot  accurately 
enough,  and  all  about  equally  well.  That  is,  if  prop- 
erly loaded  and  handled  they  will  shoot  as  well  as  any 


HUNTING-RIFLE,    AND  FLIGHT  OF  BALLS.     345 

rifle  in  the  world  in  which  the  ball  is  seated  in  the 
shell  and  started  below  the  grooves.  The  finest  shoot- 
ing can  be  done  only  by  detaching  the  two  and  start- 
ing the  ball  ///  the  grooves,  either  by  pushing  it  in 
ahead  of  the  shell  or  loading  from  the  muzzle.  One 
or  the  other  of  these  modes  is  now  followed  by  all 
long-range  experts. 

The  question  of  twist,  depth,  and  number  of  grooves, 
etc.,  you  can  quite  safely  leave  to  the  rifle-maker.  The 
slower  the  twist  up  to  a  certain  point,  however,  the 
better  for  all  high-velocity  rifles.  One  turn  in  fifty 
inches  is  enough  for  rifles  shooting  heavy  charges  of 
powder  and  very  short  bullets. 

For  accuracy,  range,  and  penetration  .44  caliber  is 
sufficient,  and  with  an  expansive  ball  properly  made 
is  amply  killing  for  nearly  all  shots  on  the  soft  parts 
of  an  animal.  For  the  solid  parts  a  large  round  ball 
of  soft  lead  is  the  more  effective,  and  taken  for  an 
average  of  a  hundred  shots  is  the  most  effective  form 
in  which  the  same  weight  of  lead  can  be  cast.  It  is 
objected  to  large  calibers  that  they  tear  and  spoil  the 
animal  too  much.  But  they  bleed  an  animal  so  much 
more,  and  kill  so  much  more  quickly  and  certainly, 
that  in  the  long-run  there  is  not  a  tenth  of  the  waste 
with  them  that  there  is  with  solid  balls  in  the  small- 
bores;  and  owing  to  the  comparative  lightness  of  the 
ball,  it  being  generally  round  or  very  near  the  weight 
of  the  round  ball,  the  recoil  is  not  at  all  unpleasant. 
Popular  opinion,  however,  favors  the  smaller  bores 
with  solid  balls,  in  spite  of  the  amount  of  game  crip- 
pled and  lost  by  them. 

No  rifle  need  be  over  thirty  inches  long,  and  even 
twenty-eight  is  enough  for  quite  high  velocities  even 
with  quite  coarse  powder.  It  should  be  as  handy  and 


346  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

as  well  fitted  to  you  as  a  shot-gun.  For  the  ill-bal- 
anced, clumsy,  straight-stocked,  long-stocked,  awk- 
ward things  often  seen  on  the  market  there  is  abso- 
lutely no  excuse.  Neither  is  a  crescent-shaped  scoop 
in  the  stock  that  requires  adjustment  to  the  shoulder 
anything  but  a  nuisance,  especially  for  running  shoot- 
ing. It  is  a  stupid  relic  of  the  age  that  thought  six- 
teen pounds  of  iron  four  feet  long  necessary  to  shoot 
a  pea-bullet  with  accuracy. 

A  hunting-rifle  of  caliber  as  large  as  .55  need  not 
weigh  over  ten  pounds,  and  eight  pounds  is  plenty  for 
one  of  .44  caliber. 

The  only  other  point  important  enough  to  mention 
now  is  the  trajectory  of  the  rifle  for  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  or  so.  The  trajectory  is  the  path  of  the 
bullet  through  the  air,  and  is  always  a  curve,  although 
for  some  distance  no  curve  can  be  detected  either  by 
shooting  at  targets  or  at  game. 

The  greater  the  initial  velocity  or  the  speed  with 
which  the  bullet  is  driven  from  the  gun,  and  the 
greater  the  bullet's  power  of  retaining  that  speed, 
either  by  increase  of  caliber,  elongation,  or  sharpening 
of  the  bullet's  front,  the  greater  the  distance  over 
which  the  bullet  will  be  driven  without  making  curve 
enough  to  overshoot  or  undershoot  your  mark. 

When  you  have  once  had  some  experience  of  the 
marvelous  tendency  to  overshoot  game  under  most 
conditions  of  light  and  ground,  of  the  extreme  diffi- 
culty of  calculating  and  allowing  for  distance,  of  the 
great  danger  of  missing  by  raising  sights,  holding 
over  game,  taking  "  coarse  bead  "  on  the  front  sight, 
etc.  etc.,  you  will  see  that  it  is  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance to  extend  as  far  as  possible  this  distance  over 
which  the  path  of  the  bullet  appears  to  be  level.  And 


HUNTING-RIFLE,    AND  FLIGHT  OF  BALLS.     347 

when  you  find  that  a  hundred  yards  for  the  woods, 
a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  for  open  hills,  and  two  hun- 
dred yards  for  the  plain  (plain  rolling  enough  to  be 
worth  hunting  antelope  on  by  stalking)  are  the  dis- 
tances within  which  five  sixths  of  your  opportunities 
to  kill  game  will  occur,  you  will  be  still  more  con- 
vinced that  the  higher  the  velocity  the  better  the  rifle 
for  hunting — all  else  of  course  being  equal,  as  it  may 
easily  be,  except  very  long-range  power. 

For  high  velocity  slow  twist  is  best;  but  two  things 
are  indispensable;  viz.,  plenty  of  powder  and  a  light 
load  for  it  to  drive. 

Nearly  all  American  sporting-rifles,  as  now  manufac- 
tured, are  low  in  velocity.  They  are  chambered  for 
too  little  powder,  nearly  all  the  makers  furnish  molds, 
loading-tools,  etc.,  for  too  long  a  bullet,  and  the  bullets 
in  the  factory  ammunition  are  all  too  long.  A  long- 
bodied  bullet  is  indispensable  for  a  long  and  steady 
flight,  and  hence  is  essential  for  long-range  accuracy. 
But  making  a  ball  three  or  four  times  the  weight  of 
the  round  ball  of  the  same  caliber  acts  precisely  like 
doubling  or  tripling  the  charge  of  shot  in  a  shot-gun. 
It  cuts  down  immensely  the  speed  with  which  it  passes 
up  the  barrel,  and  decreases  immensely  the  amount  of 
powder  that  can  be  endured  by  the  shoulder.  It  gains 
only  in  momentum  or  continuing  power.  And  though 
by  virtue  of  this  it  will  make  a  thousand  yards  in  about 
half  the  time  that  a  round  ball  from  the  same  gun  could 
make  it  with  any  amount  of  powder,  the  round  ball 
will,  on  the  other  hand,  make  seventy  or  eighty  yards 
or  more  in  half  the  time  the  other  does,  and  therefore 
make  much  less  of  a  curve.  And  if  the  weight  of  the 
round  ball  be  increased  one  half  by  making  a  longer 
ball,  and  the  charge  of  powder  be  doubled  behind  it, 


348  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

it  may  make  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  the  same 
time  the  long-range  ball  makes  a  hundred,  and  thus 
add  fifty  or  sixty  yards  to  the  point  at  which  you  will 
be  able  to" hit  your  mark  without  in  any  way  allowing 
for  or  thinking  about  its  distance;  in  other  words,  in- 
crease what  is  unphilosophically  but  popularly  called 
"  the  natural  point  blank"  of  the  rifle. 

This  is  what  is  now  called  the  "  express"  system; 
although  it  is  commonly  confounded  with  the  expan- 
sive principle,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  bullets  for 
the  "express  rifle"  are  generally  made  expansive  also. 
The  "express"  or  high-speed  system  concentrates  all 
the  power  of  the  gun  on  the  first  hundred  and  fifty  or 
two  hundred  yards,  a  thing  you  will  in  time  deem 
eminently  wise  if  you  take  the  trouble  to  measure 
your  distances  instead  of  guessing  them,  and  practice 
target-shooting  at  a  mark  between  seventy-five  and  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  with  the  mark  changed  from 
twenty  to  forty  yards  in  distance  between  each  shot. 
This  high-speed  idea  is  supposed  by  many  to  be  an 
English  notion.  But  it  is  in  fact  nearly  as  old  as 
American  rifle-shooting;  although  there  were  few  of 
the  old  hunters  who  ever  put  powder  enough  behind 
the  light  sharp-pointed  cones — short,  sugar-loaf-shaped 
balls — that  they  used  for  the  purpose. 

For  measuring  the  velocity  of  balls  an  instrument 
called  the  chronograph  is  used.  But  there  is  much 
reason  to  suspect  its  accuracy  in  registering  high 
velocities.  At  all  events,  it  is  expensive  and  difficult 
to  use.  It  is  far  easier,  and  better  for  your  purpose, 
to  measure  it  by  the  fall  of  the  bullet  below  the  mark 
at  certain  points.  This  gives  you  the  mean  velocity 
for  the  distance  at  which  you  shoot;  a  mean  com- 
pounded of  the  ball's  initial  velocity  and  its  sustain- 


HUNTING-RIFLE,    AND  FLIGHT  OF  BALLS.     349 

ing  power;  its  starting  speed  and  bottom.  Moreover, 
the  velocity  in  feet  per  second  is  of  no  consequence  to 
the  mere  hunter.  The  velocity  compared  with  the 
velocity  of  other  rifles  is  all  he  need  consider.  This 
method  shows  not  only  the  comparative  mean  velocity 
in  a  way  easily  measured,  but  gives  also  a  view  of  the 
bullet's  path  that  no  chronograph  can  ever  give.  The 
method  I  use  is  as  follows: 

Twisting  a  wire  into  a  hoop,  I  fasten  it  on  the  end 
of  a  stake  about  shoulder-high.  Two  of  these  are  set 
in  the  ground  about  fifteen  yards  apart,  the  first  one 
about  eight  or  ten  yards  from  the  firing-point.  Over 
these  thin  paper  is  pinned.  In  line  with  them,  but  at 
a  hundred  yards,  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  or 
whatever  the  distance  for  which  you  wish  to  measure 
the  drop  of  the  ball,  is  something  to  catch  the  balls; 
a  smooth  tree-trunk  or  old  door,  etc.,  will  do.  The 
rifle  is  then  fired  through  the  screens  so  as  to  strike 
the  tree  or  other  object. 

As  the  fall  of  the  bullet  up  to  twenty-five  yards  is 
imperceptible  to  ordinary  observation,  and  is  a  con- 
stant factor  in  all  the  experiments  anyhow,  the  two 
holes  made  by  the  bullet  through  the  two  papers  may 
be  considered  the  line  on  which  the  bullet  leaves  the 
muzzle.  The  distances  of  the  screens  may  of  course 
be  reduced  to  the  nearest  point  at  which  the  powder 
will  not  spoil  the  first  hole,  if  greater  accuracy  be 
desired. 

A  heavy  pencil- mark  is  then  made  on  the  side  of 
each  screen  on  a  level  with  the  bullet-hole.  By  the 
aid  of  a  glass  these  are  then  "  ranged  in"  by  an  assis- 
tant with  a  horizontal  line  on  the  tree.  The  distance 
from  that  line  to  the  bullet-hole  will  give  the  fall  of 
the  bullet  within  at  least  an  inch  if  care  be  used  in 
making  the  lines. 


350  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

Greater  accuracy  may  be  obtained  by  setting  a  sur- 
veyor's "  transit" — telescope-bearing  instrument — at 
the  first  hole,  centering  the  two  holes  with  the  cross- 
hairs of  the  telescope,  and  having  some  one  to  "line 
in  "  the  point  on  the  tree  as  in  "  centering"  a  corner- 
post.  This  test  may  be  made  almost  perfect. 

By  putting  another  screen  a  trifle  over  half  way  be- 
tween the  gun  and  the  last  target  (say  at  fifty-five 
yards  from  the  rifle  for  a  hundred-yard  shot),  then 
stepping  aside  and  looking  down  the  line  of  the 
screens,  you  will  see  how  much  the  bullet  has  to  rise 
to  strike  a  bull's-eye  at  the  farther  target.  This  may 
also  be  nearly  obtained  in  inches  by  "  lining"  the  hole 
in  the  first  screen  and  the  bullet-hole  in  the  tree  on 
the  side  of  the  half-way  screen,  and  measuring  from 
that  line  to  the  hole  in  the  same  screen.  It  will  be 
between  a  third  and  a  fourth  of  the  fall  at  the  tree. 

Such  experiments  may  be  simplified  or  made  still 
more  accurate  by  a  little  care  and  ingenuity,  and  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  most  important  thing  con- 
nected with  the  rifle — an  idea,  too,  that  you  will  never 
get  in  any  other  way.  The  ignorance  upon  this  point 
among  even  good  practical  hunters  is  positively  ap- 
palling. The  vast  majority  even  of  the  best  shots 
think  a  good  rifle  "  shoots  level  "  up  to  two  hundred 
or  three  hundred  yards;  and  he  who  should  have  the 
audacity  to  assert  that  a  rifle  that  will  make  twenty 
successive  bull's-eyes  at  a  thousand  yards  may  at  a 
hundred  and  twenty  yards  drop  its  ball  many  inches 
below  that  of  another  rifle  that  probably  could  not  hit 
the.  same  bull's-eye  at  all  at  five  hundred  yards,  would 
be  considered  a  fool  by  fully  three  fourths  of  the  best 
rifle-shots  in  the  country. 


THE   SIGHTING   OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.         351 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

THE    SIGHTING    OF    HUNTING-RIFLES. 

THE  more  I  experiment  with  sights  and  shoot  with 
other  people's  rifles  the  more  I  become  convinced 
that  bad  sights  are  nearly  as  fruitful  a  source  of 
misses  as  anything  so  far  considered.  Though  more 
accurate  shooting  can  be  done  with  globe-sights, 
there  is  no  question  of  the  superiority  of  open-sights 
for  all  quick  shooting  or  shooting  in  dim  lights  or 
in  the  woods.  And  they  are  accurate  enough  to  two 
hundred  yards  at  least. 

The  open  sight  usually  put  upon  rifles  by  manufac- 
turers can  scarcely  be  considered  "  the  pink  of  per- 
fection." The  very  essence  of  a  front  sight  is  that  it 
appear  always  the  same,  and  be  visible  in  every  light. 
The  huge  piece  of  dull  metal,  shaped  like  a  slice  of 
watermelon,  that  adorns  the  muzzle-end  of  most 
factory  rifles  can  hardly  be  seen  at  all  in  some  lights. 
And  when  it  can  be  seen  it  is  often  nearly  as  bad  as 
if  it  could  not.  Stand  out  in  the  sun  with  a  rifle  hav- 
ing one  of  these,  and  holding  it  at  arm's  length,  with 
your  eye  upon  the  front  sight,  turn  completely 
around.  You  will  probably  see  the  center  of  bright- 
ness shift  all  over  it  from  base  to  tip  and  from  side  to 
side.  This  center  of  brightness  is  what  you  will  take 
for  the  true  center  in  nearly  every  case  where  there  is 
the  slightest  need  of  expedition  in  shooting.  And 
upon  running  game  you  will  be  quite  certain  to 


352  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

always  do  so.  You  can  see  for  yourself  what  the  re- 
sult of  so  doing  must  often  be,  especially  when  a  fine 
shot  is  necessary. 

No  metal  shows  in  so  many  lights  as  ivory  or  white 
agate  does.  And  they  hardly  ever  fail  to  show  the 
true  center  at  a  glance.  For  running  shooting  on 
snow  or  flying  shots  against  the  sky,  gold  or  brass  or 
even  iron  is  better,  but  for  bare  ground  the  whiter 
the  sight  the  better.  The  liability  of  ivory  or  agate 
to  break  seems  the  only  objection.  This  can  be 
readily  obviated  by  having  an  extra  sight.  But  ivory 
can  be  so  set  that  there  is  little  or  no  danger.  It 
should  be  screwed  into  a  screw-hole  in  an  iron  block 
having  a  guard  of  iron  on  the  muzzle-side.  When 
filed  away  on  the  sides  and  top  this  guard  and  the 
ivory  will  be  of  the  same  width  and  height.  The 
guard  will  be  invisible,  but  will  be  quite  sure  to  pro- 
tect the  ivory;  will,  at  all  events,  preserve  a  part  of  it; 
can  itself  be  used  as  a  temporary  sight  if  the  ivory 
should  go;  and  is  a  ready  guide  to  the  adjustment  of 
another  piece  of  ivory,  or  bone  if  you  have  no  ivory  or 
agate  at  hand.  Ivory  must  be  kept  free  of  grease, 
though  grease  can  soon  be  taken  out  of  it  by  boiling 
in  alcohol,  alkali,  etc.,  or  by  rubbing  it  well  with  ether. 

The  beginner  with  the  rifle  lays  to  his  soul  no  unc- 
tion so  flattering  as  the  idea  that  a  shot  a  few  inches 
above  or  below  the  mark  is  a  good  shot  because  it  is 
what  the  world  is  pleased  to  term  "  a  line-shot."  In 
dueling,  "  a  line-shot"  means  something.  In  shooting 
at  game  where  there  is  seldom  six  inches  to  spare 
above  or  below  the  center,  and  much  less  if  you  in- 
tend to  hit  the  vitals,  and  where  the  mark  is  from 
five  to  twenty  times  the  distance  of  the  mark  in 
dueling,  "a  line-shot"  also  means  something;  to 


THE   SIGHTING  OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.        353 

wit,  a  clear  miss  three  times  out  of  four.  It  is  on 
the  horizontal  and  not  on  the  vertical  line  that  "  a 
line-shot"  that  is  worth  anything  for  game  must  gen- 
erally be  made.  And  this  is  just  the  hardest  of  all  to 
make.  Except  in  a  cross-wind  the  veriest  tyro  can 
with  ease  hit  above  or  below  the  mark  at  quite  long 
distances.  But  to  reach  the  horizontal  line  requires 
the  very  best  of  work.  And  it  is  on  this  line  that  all 
defective  work  in  the  rifle,  all  bad  loading,  all  bad 
shooting,  etc.,  shows  itself  three  times  out  of  four. 
And  in  the  long-run,  a  horizontal  line-shot  a  foot 
from  the  center  on  either  side  will  miss  less  game 
than  a  line-shot  six  inches  above  or  four  inches  below 
the  center. 

The  top  of  the  front  sight  should  therefore  be  so 
flat  and  broad  as  to  insure  the  best  horizontal  shoot- 
ing without  too  much  sacrifice  of  accuracy  on  the  up- 
right line.  But  it  can  be  made  quite  flat  and  broad 
upon  the  top  without  any  such  sacrifice  of  vertical  ac- 
curacy as  would  be  supposed  necessary.  If  sharp  it 
cannot  be  depended  on  for  quick  work  or  in  every 
light;  though  when  there  is  plenty  of  time  the  best  of 
shooting  can  be  done  with  a  sight  as  sharp  as  a  knife- 
blade.  A  front  sight  about  as  broad  at  the  top  as 
a  common  pin-head  and  perfectly  flat  will  be  accurate 
enough  for  all  hunting  purposes  when  your  eye  gets 
used  to  it.  And  even  if  a  sacrifice  must  be  made,  it 
had  much  better  be  made  on  the  vertical  line.  It  will 
do  no  harm  to  have  the  top  of  the  back  edge  slightly 
sloped  off.  With  a  metal  sight  this  had  better  be 
done  so  that  a  little  spot  shines  there  like  a  star;  all 
below  it  being  kept  dull  in  color,  arid  the  star  portion 
being  kept  polished  by  a  few  rubs  with  a  bit  of  wood 
as  often  as  it  gets  tarnished. 


354:  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

The  front  sight  is  generally  made  too  high.  It 
need  be  just  high  enough  to  enable  you  to  see  when 
you  catch  too  much  of  it  with  the  eye.  High  sights 
are  harder  to  catch  with  the  eye  and  easier  to  catch 
in  anything  else  than  low  ones.  In  falling  snow  they 
are  better,  but  then  even  high  ones  are  bad  enough, 
and  the  rifle  should  be  carried  upside  down,  and  oc- 
casionally wiped,  with  any  sights.  With  low  sights 
you  cannot  so  well  raise  the  trajectory  by  what  is 
called  a  "coarse  bead" — taking  a  coarse  view  of  front 
sight.  But  this  in  the  long-run  will  be  the  greatest 
blessing  that  could  happen  you. 

It  is  often  convenient  to  have  a  quickly  adjustable 
globe-sight  on  the  rifle.  The  principle  of  Beach's 
combination-sight  is  a  good  one,  but  the  open  part  of 
it  is  entirely  too  dull,  besides  the  objection  of  vary- 
ing play  of  light  upon  it.  Cut  it  down  one  half  and 
solder  a  little  strip  of  gold  on  it.  Or,  which  is  better 
yet,  cut  it  off  entirely  and  set  a  low  ivory  sight  in 
front  of  it  that  can  be  seen  over  the  ring  when  flat, 
and  above  which  the  globe  can  be  seen  when  the  ring 
is  raised. 

But  here  is  one,  in  my  humble  opinion,  better  yet 
for  one  who  needs  a  globe-sight  at  all;  and  with  it  the 
best  of  horizontal  shooting  can  be  done.  I  have 
never  known  any  one  else  use  it,  but  I  found  it  very 
good. 

Take  a  common  long-barreled  globe-sight  and  cut 
away  with  a  file  or  drill  all  of  the  top  half  of  the  bar- 
rel or  cylinder  except  just  enough  to  protect  the 
thread  and  ball — making  a  perfect  cage  of  it  and  ad- 
mitting all  the  light  possibe.  Then  put  a  golden  ball 
upon  the  thread  and  whiten  all  the  inside  of  the 
cylinder  with  paint  so  as  to  cast  as  much  light  as  pos- 


THE   SIGHTING  OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.        355 

sible  on  the  under  side  of  the  ball.  Shape  this  ball 
somewhat  like  a  pin-head  flattened  a  little  on  top. 
Or  make  it  round  if  you  choose.  Adapt  the  size  to 
your  convenience.  You  can  now  use  this  as  an  open 
sight  with  the  open  back  sight,  or  can  use  it  with  a 
peep-sight  on  the  stock.  It  works  well  either  way. 
If  you  wish  it  shaded  you  need  only  a  little  slide  of 
bent  tin  to  slipover  the  cylinder.  By  cutting  out  the 
top  a  little  more  you  can  insert  two  threads  or  arms 
with  different-sized  balls,  or  one  of  silver  and  the 
other  of  gold.  These  arms  should  be  set  at  right 
angles  and  work  on  a  pivot  in  the  center.  It  is  easy 
to  set  them  so  as  to  come  exactly  to  the  same  place, 
one  lying  flat  when  the  other  is  up.  They  can  be 
easily  changed  with  the  finger  or  a  stick.  After  they 
are  set  in,  a  strip  of  wire  may  be  soldered  over  the 
top  where  it  was  cut  away  to  admit  them. 

Beyond  the  importance  of  some  flatness  at  the  top 
of  a  plain  open  sight  to  insure  good  horizontal  shoot- 
ing, the  fineness  or  coarseness  of  sights  is  very  much 
a  matter  of  what  the  eye  is  accustomed  to.  Except 
at  long  distances,  one  can  with  practice  soon  do  ex- 
cellent shooting  with  a  tolerably  coarse  sight,  and  ex- 
cellent quick  shooting  with  a  fine  sight.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  much  of  your  shooting  must  be 
dene  in  a  dim  light. 

Bold  indeed  must  one  be  to  say  a  word  in  deroga- 
tion of  the  venerable  and  fashionable  buckhorn  sight. 
But,  even  at  the  risk  of  being  considered  too  iconoclas- 
tic, I  must  mildly  insinuate  that  very  good  shooting 
can  be  done  without  the  aid  of  this  long-revered  idol. 

One  who  has  never  tried  it  would  be  surprised  to 
see  how  well  he  can  shoot  over  the  open  barrel  with 


356  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

only  a  small  front  sight.  The  eye  takes  the  center  of 
the  barrel  as  naturally  as  a  duck  to  water.  The  main 
use  of  a  back  sight  is  to  cut  off  the  amount  of  the 
front  sight  necessary  to  give  the  right  horizontal 
range.  Getting  the  vertical  range  is  mere  child's 
play  compared  with  this.  For  doing  this  the  high 
sides  or  horns  of  the  buckhorn  or  back  sight  are  of 
no  use  whatever.  Their  only  use  is  to  prevent  reflec- 
tion of  light  which  would  glimmer  from  the  corners 
of  a  notch  in  a  flat-topped  bar  of  iron. 

There  is,  however,  one  thing  that  these  horns  or 
sides  do  most  fully  accomplish.  They  cut  off  and 
partly  destroy  that  clear  and  comprehensive  view  of 
everything  ahead  that  is  so  important  for  running 
shots.  They  also  actually  delay  one  in  "finding  the 
sights,"  instead  of  aiding  one  as  many  suppose  who 
have  never  tried  anything  else.  The  notch  at  the 
bottom,  by  pinching  out  the  view  of  the  front  sight, 
prevents  the  eye  from  taking  always  the  same  exact 
amount  of  front  sight,  especially  when  the  sunlight 
pours  into  the  notch  from  in  front  or  from  behind. 
Almost  the  entire  trouble  that  old-sighted  persons 
have  in  shooting  a  rifle  is  with  this  notch,  it  being 
almost  impossible  for  them  to  see  the  exact  bottom 
and  shape  of  it  so  as  to  align  the  front  sight  with  it. 
Or  as  they  express  it,  they  "can't  get  the  front  sight 
down  into  the  notch."  When  one  has  good  sight  and 
plenty  of  time  first-class  shooting  can  be  done  with 
the  buckhorn  sight.  Possibly  for  very  fine  target- 
work  it  is  a  trifle  better  than  any  other  open  back 
sight. 

But  for  quick  shooting,  and  especially  for  good 
horizontal-line  shooting — quickly  cutting  off  the  right 
amount  of  front  sight — I  long  ago  discovered  that  a 


THE   SIGHTING   OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.         357 

straight  short  bar,  without  horns,  scoops,  or  notches 
of  any  kind,  was  far  superior,  especially  for  quickness. 
And  on  the  vertical-line  shooting  there  is  no  such  dif- 
ference as  would  be  supposed.  The  eye  finds  the 
center  of  it  so  instinctively  that  you  do  not  have  to 
look  for  it  at  all.  You  merely  raise  the  rifle  and  look 
for  the  proper  amount  of  front  sight,  or  "  the  right 
bead."  Then  the  eye  finds  the  center  so  exactly  that 
except  possibly  for  the  very  finest  kind  of  target- 
shooting,  you  can  detect  no  difference.  I  say  possibly, 
for  I  have  never  tried  it  on  anything  finer  than  an 
inch  bull's-eye  at  twenty  yards — that  being  about  my 
outside  limit  with  any  rifle.  But  a  dozen  or  more  of 
my  acquaintances  have  at  the  first  trial  with  my  rifle 
so  sighted  shot  exactly  the  same  as  with  their  own. 
Many  of  my  friends  have  adopted  it;  all  of  them  are 
pleased  with  it;  none  desire  any  other.  One  friend 
made  the  best  shooting  with  it  at.  bullet-holes  and 
rabbits  running  that  he  has  ever  made  with  anything. 
This  may  be  used  as  well  with  the  globe-sight  above 
described  as  the  buckhorn  may  be. 

The  back  sight  I  use  is  a  straight  bar  of  hard  black 
rubber  about  thirty-five  hundredths  of  an  inch  wide, 
perfectly  level  on  top.  Iron  or  bone  soaked  with  ink 
will  do  as  well;  but  iron  should  be  kept  corroded  with 
tincture  of  iodine  and  then  blackened  with  ink.  With 
such  a  sight  and  ivory  on  the  ball  in  front  you  can 
swing  your  rifle  around  the  horizon  in  the  sun  and  see 
no  change  of  light-center  and  not  a  glimmer  from  the 
bar.  And  you  can  shoot  ten  degrees  closer  to  the 
sun's  eye  with  them  than  with  any  other  set  of  open 
sights.  The  \7ery  best  of  all  is  a  piece  of  hard  sole- 
leather,  made  still  harder  by  boiling  and  hammering 
and  drying  in  an  oven.  Soaked  with  ink,  not  a  ray 


358  THE  STILL-HUNl^ER. 

of  light  will  this  cast.  It  can  be  screwed  in  through 
a  hole. 

If,  however,  you  prefer  a  notch,  you  need  no  horns 
around  it.  Cut  a  notch  with  a  knife  only  a  line  or 
two  deep  in  the  center  of  the  bar,  keep  well  rusted 
with  iodine  and  ink,  and  you  have  all  the  advantages 
of  the  buckhorn,  with  its  disadvantages  greatly  modi- 
fied. Iodine  and  ink  are  in  fact  indispensable  for 
keeping  any  back  sight  of  iron  in  proper  order,  and 
should  be  frequently  applied;  the  iodine  a  day  or  two 
before  the  ink.  But  give  the  straight  bar  a  fair  trial 
and  you  will  not  want  notches. 

Elevating-sights  upon  a  rifle  are  very  prone  to  tempt 
one  into  using  them  where  the  level  sight  only  should 
be  used.  For  this  reason  many  hunters  will  not  have 
them  upon  a  rifle  at  all.  This,  however,  is  unwise. 
The  remedy  is  not  to  discard  them,  but  learn  to  use 
them  properly.  Just  so  surely  as  the  game  is  beyond 
the  natural  point  blank  of  your  rifle,  so  surely  must 
the  rifle-ball  rise  in  its  flight  to  reach  it.  There  are 
four  ways  of  making  it  do  this: 

ist.   Sighting  rifle  to  "artificial  point  blank." 

sd.  Taking  a  fuller  view  of  front  sight,  or,  as  it  is 
called,  "a  coarse  bead." 

3d.  Holding  high  on  game. 

4th.  Elevating  the  back  sight. 

The  great  trouble  with  all  these  methods  is  that  of 
all  long-range  shooting — the  calculation  of  distance. 
The  artificial  point-blank  is  no  better  than  any 
elevated  sight  except  in  requiring  no  adjustment. 
Unless  the  game  happens  to  be  at  the  right  distance 
it  has  no  advantages.  And  inside  of  that  distance  it 
is  as  much  a  nuisance  as  level  sights  are  beyond  their 
proper  distance. 


THE   SIGHTING   OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.         359 

Holding  high  on  game  is  well  enough  up  to  a  cer- 
tain point;  but  as  soon  as  the  game  is  so  far  off  that 
you  have  to  hold  entirely  above  the  body,  then  arises 
the  same  trouble  that  makes  the  "coarse  bead"  unre- 
liable beyond  the  same  point;  to  wit,  it  involves  a 
double  guess  where  a  single  guess  is  bad  enough. 
It  involves  not  only  a  guess  at  the  distance,  but  a 
guess  at  the  distance  you  are  holding  above  the 
game,  or  a  guess  at  the  amount  of  front  sight  you  are 
taking.  The  eye  cannot  every  time  accurately  mea- 
sure off  the  same  amount  of  front  sight  even  when 
you  know  just  how  much  you  want.  And  at  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  the  eye,  in  mea- 
suring off  a  yard  or  so  above  a  deer's  back,  will  be  ex- 
tremely apt  to  be  a  foot  or  so  out  of  the  way. 

A  good  elevating-sight,  when  tested  and  marked 
entirely  avoids  the  second  trouble.  It  involves  only 
the  estimate  of  distance.  And  this  difficulty  is  no 
worse  than  in  the  other  cases.  But  the  sight  should 
be  thoroughly  tried  at  a  target  and  marked  for  dif- 
ferent distances.  The  factory  markings  are  not  at  all 
reliable. 

The  common  elevation  on  the  open  back  sight — a 
small  set  of  steps — is  of  very  little  use  beyond  the 
second  or  third  step.  The  best  way  to  use  it  is  to 
have  the  first  step  for  the  level  sight  or  natural  point 
blank  of  your  rifle.  Then  file  the  second  step  so  as 
to  make  an  artificial  point  blank  of  a  hundred  yards. 
File  the  third  step  so  as  to  raise  the  point  blank  to  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  cut  away  the  front  edge 
of  this  step  so  that  it  can  be  pushed  into  place  in  a 
second  with  the  thumb  instead  of  requiring  both 
hands  and  a  minute's  time  to  adjust  it.  This  is  about 
the  best  adjustment  for  the  woods.  Carry  the  rifle 


SCO  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

with  back  sights  set  on  the  middle  step.  This  is 
better  than  having  it  firmly  fixed  at  the  lowest  point 
blank  you  wish  to  use.  For  all  close  shots  where 
there  is  much  danger  of  overshooting,  as  in  bad  light, 
against  the  sun,  down  hill,  etc.,  slip  out  the  elevator 
to  the  first  step, — provided  you  have  time.  Use  the 
second  step  for  all  else  up  to  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards;  that  is,  what  appears  to  be  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards.  Use  the  third  step  for  all  beyond  that  up 
to  what  you  consider  two  hundred  yards.  This  dis- 
count of  fifty  yards  on  your  estimate  of  distance  is 
intended  only  for  cases  where  you  have  no  time  to 
make  any  careful  estimate.  But  you  had  better  dis- 
count twenty-five  at  least,  even  where  you  have  time. 
Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  woods.  This  arrange- 
ment of  open  back  sights  is  better  than  leaf-sights,  etc. 

Beyond  two  hundred  yards  open  sights,  even  when 
very  fine,  begin  to  get  unreliable.  And  coarse  sights 
begin  to  be  so  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  For  dis- 
tances beyond  two  hundred  yards  there  is  nothing 
like  an  elevating  peep-sight  on  the  rifle-stock.  This 
may  be  used  with  a  globe-sight  at  the  muzzle-end  or 
with  a  plain  open  front  sight,  ranging  the  top  of  it 
with  the  center  of  the  hole. 

The  elevating  principle  of  Lyman's  back  sight  is 
very  good — the  best  perhaps  up  to  ordinary  ranges 
for  game.  It  also  gives  two  holes,  a  fine  and  a  coarse 
hole. 

There  is,  however,  no  need  of  any  such  fine  hole  as 
is  generally  used  in  peep-sights.  It  is  too  hard  to  find 
the  game  through  it,  especially  in  the  woods.  The 
eye  finds  the  center  of  a  large  hole  just  about  as  ac- 
curately as  it  does  the  center  of  a  small  one. 

The    common  sliding  elevation    of   the  rear  peep- 


THE   SIGHTING  OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.        361 

sight  as  now  placed  upon  many  rifles  can  be  much 
improved  by  the  following  plan;  and  taken  for  all 
distances  is  perhaps  the  best  elevating-sight  there  is: 
Ream  out  the  peep-hole  to  the  size  of  a  large  pin-head 
and  rust  it  with  iodine.  Find  the  lowest  point  at 
which  you  wish  to  use  it;  say  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  if  your  open  sights  be  coarse,  two  hundred 
if  very  fine.  Put  a  drop  of  solder  on  the  track  there 
so  that  it  will  stop  at  that  exact  point  when  suddenly 
pushed  down.  Next  find  the  two-hundred-  or  two- 
hundred-and-fifty-yard  point,  or  fifty  yards  above  sol- 
der, and  cut  a  deep  mark  there  that,  if  necessary,  can 
be  found  with  the  thumb-nail  while  you  are  watch- 
ing game.  Put  similar  marks  at  the  three-hundred- 
yard  and  three-hundred-and-fifty-yard  point,  etc. 
Then  carry  the  slide  on  the  lowest  mark  above  the 
solder.  To  push  it  from  there  to  the  solder  is  no 
trouble  whatever.  You  will  rarely  need  to  raise  it 
above  where  it  is.  If  you  do,  it  can  be  quite  easily 
done.  It  is  best  not  to  shift  the  sights  for  a  slight 
variance  above  or  below  the  game;  but  when  you  see 
a  ball  strike  above  or  below,  hold  a  little  lower  or 
higher  the  next  time.  This  will  be  better  than  at- 
tempting to  use  twenty-five-yard  intervals.  The 
quickness  of  finding  this  sight  with  the  eye  can  be 
increased  by  cutting  away  the  upper  part  of  the  plate 
containing  the  peep-hole,  so  that  the  upper  half  of 
the  hole  is  like  a  half-ring. 

A  telescopic  sight  will  do  finer  work  than  any  sight 
that  can  be  put  on  a  rifle.  But  of  course  the  same 
trouble  of  estimating  distance  remains.  Up  to  three 
hundred  yards  globe  and  peep  sights  are  accurate 
enough  if  you  know  your  distance.  A  telescopic 
sight  is  troublesome  and  bungling;  is  in  the  way  of 


362  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

open  sights  on  the  barrel;  the  open  sight  upon  top  of 
it  is  too  troublesome  to  find  for  quick  shooting;  and 
all  quick  work  through  it  is  nearly  impossible. 

The  back  open  sight  is  generally  set  farther  back 
than  it  should  be.  Theoretically  it  will  in  this  way 
do  better  shooting,  any  variation  being  more  appar- 
ent. Practically  it  will  do  no  such  thing.  Set  six 
inches  farther  up  the  barrel,  the  difference  can  hardly 
be  detected  at  the  target.  Whatever  is  lost  by  the 
difference  in  appearance  of  variation  is  gained  by  the 
greater  clearness  of  the  outlines  of  the  back  sight. 
This  is  important  even  to  young  eyes,  and  especially 
to  aged  ones.  So  set,  a  sight  is  also  more  quickly 
taken  by  the  eye,  its  center  is  more  easily  held,  and  it 
will  cut  off  the  proper  amount  of  front  sight  more 
distinctly. 

Having  chosen  the  kind  and  shape  of  sights,  the 
very  important  question  of  how  to  adjust  them  still 
remains. 

All  rifles  shoot  for  a  short  distance  on  a  line  prac- 
tically level.  That  is,  if  the  line  of  the  sights  be  ad- 
justed perfectly  parallel  with  the  axes  of  the  bore, 
there  will  still  be  a  distance  at  which  the  fall  of  the 
bullet  will  be  almost  inappreciable.  And  even  after 
the  fall  becomes  appreciable  there  still  remains  a  dis- 
tance beyond  that  point  where  the  fall  may  be  disre- 
garded in  shooting  at  game.  Both  of  these  points 
are  called  indiscriminately  and  carelessly  the  "  natural 
point-blank."  This  is  a  very  unphilosophical  term, 
but  it  is  so  common  and  expresses  a  practical  truth 
so  well  that  it  may  as  well  be  retained.  For  practical 
purposes  it  may  best  be  defined  as  that  distance  at 
which  the  ball  will  strike  the  regulation  bull's-eye  for 
that  distance  without  rising  in  its  flight.  This  will 


THE    SIGHTING  OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.         363 

cover  nearly  all  game  that  is  ever  shot  at.  For  in- 
stance, the  bull's-eye  for  twenty-five  yards  is  one  inch, 
for  fifty  yards  is  two  inches,  for  seventy-five  yards  is 
three  inches,  for  a  hundred  yards  is  four  inches,  cor- 
responding to  a  grouse's  head  at  ten  yards,  a  squn-- 
rel's  head  at  twenty-five  yards,  a  duck's  or  hare's  body 
at  a  hundred  yards,  a  turkey  at  a  hundred  and  fiity 
yards,  a  deer  or  antelope  at  two  hundred,  an  elk  at 
two  hundred  and  fifty,  a  buffalo  at  three  hundred,  etc., 
all  on  the  same  scale. 

This  "  natural  point-blank"  is  much  less  for  all  rifles 
than  is  commonly  supposed.  In  many  it  is  not  fifty 
yards.  It  probably  cannot  be  made  to  exceed  a  hun- 
dred and  thirty  yards  in  any  rifle.  Conceding  that 
outside  of  the  plains  three  fourths  of  the  chances  to 
kill  game  fall  inside  of  a  hundred  and  forty  )rards, 
the  vast  importance  of  this  point-blank  is  at  once  ap- 
parent. Every  rod  that  can  be  added  to  it  is  more 
than  equal  to  a  yard  added  to  the  killing  range  of  a 
shot-gun.  It  is  often  said  in  answer  to  this  that  more 
deer  are  killed  inside  of  seventy-five  yards  than  be- 
yond it.  Admitted;  but  where  are  the  most  missed? 
Between  seventy-five  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 
And  why  are  the  most  of  them  missed  there  ?  By 
undershooting,  and  overshooting  in  attempting  to 
avoid  undershooting.  Every  one  should  try  his 
rifle  and  find  out  just  what  its  "  natural  point-blank" 
is. 

By  so  adjusting  the  sights  as  to  make  the  ball  rise 
in  its  flight  and  sink  into  the  mark  another  point 
blank  may  be  given  to  it.  This  is  the  point  where 
the  ball  descends  into  and  cuts  the  line  of  sights  after 
rising  above  it.  Thus  when  a  Winchester  rifle  of 
'73  model  is  sighted  to  hit  the  bull's-eye  at  two 


364  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

hundred  yards,  the  ball  at  ten  or  fifteen  yards  from 
the  muzzle  rises  into  and  cuts  the  level  line  of  sights, 
keeps  above  the  line  of  sights,  rising  all  the  way 
to  about  a  hundred  and  ten  yards,  then  descends 
toward  the  line  of  sights,  and  touches  it  again  at  two 
hundred  yards — the  bull's-eye.  This  is  called  the 
"  artificial  point-blank,"  and  may  be  varied  to  any 
distance  to  which  the  rifle  may  shoot.  It  is  contended 
by  good  authority,  and  on  very  strong  grounds  too, 
that  this  is  the  only  point-blank,  that  no  such  thing 
as  a  natural  point-blank  exists,  and  that  the  distinc- 
tion should  be  abolished  as  absurd.  My  answer  is, 
that  though  according  to  strict  philosophy  there  may 
be  no  natural  point-blank,  yet  that  practically  there  is; 
that  the  idea  is  firmly  lodged  in  the  heads  of  the  great 
majority  and  never  can  be  dislodged;  and,  above  all, 
that  there  is  no  sounder  philosophy  than  that  which 
recognizes  a  useful,  practical  truth,  although  it  may 
be  in  fact  an  error. 

By  the  artificial  point-blank  all  the  practical  advan- 
tages of  the  natural  point-blank  may  not  only  be  re- 
tained but  much  extended.  Suppose  a  rifle  to  have 
a  natural  point-blank  of  seventy-five  yards,  the  ball 
at  that  point  being  about  an  inch  and  a  half  below  the 
center.  Now  if  the  ball  had  been  made  to  just  cross 
the  line  of  sights  at  forty  yards,  it  would  be  in  the 
center  of  the  mark  at  eighty  yards  and  not  over 
an  inch  below  it  at  a  hundred  yards.  And  yet  it 
would  not  have  missed  a  squirrel's  head  anywhere 
along  the  line.  In  this  way  a  rifle  throwing  a  very 
swift  large  ball  may  be  made  to  shoot  to  a  hundred 
and  thirty  or  a  hundred  and  forty  yards,  so  that  one 
can  shoot  all  along  the  line  at  small  marks  and  yet 
notice  neither  rise  nor  fall  so  long  as  he  shoots  off- 


A   Good   Shot. 


THE  SIGHTING   OF  HUNTING-RIFLES.          365 

hand  and  with  open  sights.  And  a  very  swift  and 
velocity-sustaining  ball  may  be  thus  sent  for  a  hun- 
dred and  seventy  yards  without  missing  a  turkey  any- 
where along  the  line. 

But  if  the  rise  at  the  middle  of  the  course  be  too 
great  there  is,  as  we  have  seen,  a  loss.  And  this  may 
be  so  great  as  to  overbalance  the  advantage.  A  rifle 
sighted  to  a  point  blank  too  far  off,  or  having  so  slow 
a  ball  that  it  has  to  rise  high  to  reach  a  short  point- 
blank,  will  miss  far  more  game  inside  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  than  it  will  catch  beyond  that  point. 
Such  is  the  case  with  many  rifles  as  they  come  from 
the  factory;  and  attempting  to  hold  low  enough 
with  them  is  one  of  the  most  delusive  things  in  the 
world. 

Keeping,  then,  clearly  in  mind  that  the  less  rise 
there  is  to  the  ball  the  better,  the  adjustments  of  the 
sights  for  large  game  will  depend  entirely  upon  the 
kind  of  ground  upon  which  you  are  to  hunt.  Remem- 
ber, however,  that,  on  account  of  the  strong  tendency 
to  overshoot,  an  inch  of  rise  above  is  in  the  long-run 
as  bad  as  two  inches  of  fall  below  or  three  inches  of 
deviation  to  either  side  the  mark.  And  remember  the 
natural  tendency  to  overestimate  the  distance  at  which 
most  game  is  killed,  and  that  the  most  advantageous 
point  at  which  to  shoot  at  game  is  much  closer  than  is 
commonly  supposed. 

The  following  rises  of  bullets  at  the  middle  point 
will,  I  think,  be  fully  enough,  supposing  you  use  a 
swift  ball: 

For  the  woods,  one  inch. 

For  the  open  hilly  ground,  two  and  a  half  inches. 

For  the  plains,  four  inches. 

No  rise  of  ball  higher  than  the  above  should  be 


366  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

made  with  the  open  s'.ghts  if  you  are  to  do  any  shoot- 
ing at  running  game.  If  you  are  to  take  only  stand- 
ing shots  you  may  set  them  as  much  higher,  being 
very  careful  to  shoot  low  at  the  midway  point,  and 
also  down  hill,  or  in  dim  light,  against  the  sun,  etc. 


LOADING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  RIFLES.      367 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE    LOADING,    CARE,    AND    MANAGEMENT    OF    RIFLES. 

ALTHOUGH  upon  principle  the  rotation  of  a  rifle- 
ball  balances  inequalities  in  it  as  rotation  does  in  a 
spinning  top,  yet  the  fact  is  that  the  effect  of  inequal- 
ities is  simply  reduced  and  not  annulled.  Though 
defectively  cast  balls  may  appear  to  shoot  quite  well, 
yet  they  will  not  average  such  accurate  work  as  well- 
made  ones;  and  however  true  some  of  them  may  go, 
any  one  of  them  is  liable  to  stray  at  the  very  time 
when  you  most  depend  upon  it.  Lead  for  casting 
balls  should  be  melted  in  a  large  ladle;  or  a  small 
pot  is  better.  It  should  be  stirred  to  a  uniform  den- 
sity, kept  clear  of  dross,  kept  at  a  uniform  heat,  and 
not  allowed  to  get  too  hot.  It  should  be  dipped 
out  with  a  clay  pipe  or  iron  spoon,  which  should  also 
be  kept  at  the  same  temperature  by  being  kept  im- 
mersed in  the  molten  lead. 

It  used  to  be  thought  that  the  softest  lead  is  the 
best.  This  is  true  enough  for  solid  balls  as  far  as 
killing  effect  is  concerned.  The  softest  lead  is  not 
only  the  heaviest,  but  will  expand  the  most  upon 
striking.  For  a  muzzle-loader  with  round  ball  or 
short  cylindrical  or  conical  ball  it  is  probably  the 
best  metal.  But  whether  softness  is  necessary  for 
accuracy  in  any  rifle,  however  light  the  ball,  may  well 
be  doubted.  It  is,  however,  in  such  cases  accurate 
enough. 


368  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

But  where  the  ball  is  very  long  and  heavy  relatively 
to  its  diameter  it  starts  so  much  more  slowly  that  if 
soft  it  may  be  mashed  out  of  shape  before  fairly 
under  way.  This  is  the  case  with  the  breech-loader, 
especially  with  a  heavy  charge  of  powder.  This  has 
already  been  fully  considered.  The  best  remedy  for 
this  is  the  admixture  of  tin  with  the  lead.  Five  per 
cent  of  tin  or  ten  per  cent  of  common  solder  will 
improve  the  shooting  of  any  ball  from  a  breech- 
loader, whether  long  or  short,  round  or  cylindrical, 
and  whether  shot  naked  or  patched.  Double  this 
quantity  is  sometimes  necessary  for  very  long  balls. 
And  even  double  that  may  be  used.  I  once  tried 
some  balls  that  were  about  forty  per  cent  tin,  so  hard 
I  could  hardly  hammer  them  into  the  shell  with  the 
loading-tools.  I  shot  these  naked  from  a  Maynard 
rifle,  and  they  did  the  best  work  I  have  ever  seen  from 
a  breech-loader.  Five  of  them  in  succession  I  placed 
in  a  four-inch  ring  at  two  hundred  yards,  with  globe- 
sights  and  rest  of  course.  Several  more  fired  at 
short  distances  cut  into  the  same  hole  with  almost 
the  regularity  of  a  muzzle-loader.  The  same  is  the 
case  with  round  balls,  which  generally  must  be  hard- 
ened to  work  well  in  a  breech-loader.  It  is  possible 
that  a  little  tin  in  the  ball  might  improve  its  accuracy 
even  when  fired  from  a  muzzle-loader,  though  I  have 
never  tried  it. 

The  molds  should  be  kept  hot  during  the  casting. 
Wrap  the  handles  well  with  buckskin  and  let  the 
molds  get  as  hot  as  they  please.  Pour  in  only  enough 
for  one  bullet  at  a  time,  putting  the  dipper  back  into 
the  pot  to  keep  hot.  Pour  in  enough  to  fully  fill  the 
entrance-hole,  and  jar  the  molds  a  bit  so  as  to  have 
the  metal  well  settled.  In  shaking  balls  out  of  the 


LOADING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  RIFLES.     369 

molds  have  a  mat  of  cloth  or  paper  to  drop  them  on, 
and  do  not  let  them  strike  each  other  hard,  as  when 
hot  they  are  very  easily  indented. 

Reject  every  defective  ball.  If  the  molds  are  new 
and  make  wrinkled  balls,  smoke  them  in  a  candle, 
burn  grease  in  them,  wipe  thoroughly,  resmoke  and 
rewipe,  etc.  If  you  have  many  defective  balls,  keep 
them  to  melt  over  together  with  some  more  soft 
lead,  as  they  may  be  too  hard  to  load  easily  if  re- 
melted  ;  and  if  put  in  the  pot  with  the  others  they 
may  affect  the  uniformity  of  the  hardness  of  the  rest. 
Where  balls  are  to  be  patched  they  should  be  smoothed 
off  and  made  even  with  a  swedge.  And  even  when 
to  be  shot  naked  this  will  improve  them. 

These  matters  look  like  needless  niceties.  Of  course 
good  shooting  may  be  done  with  carelessly  made  balls. 
But  to  observe  this  care,  will  not  make  fifteen  minutes' 
difference  in  the  whole  time  of  casting,  and  may  some 
time  save  you  a  deer  or  an  antelope.  All  through 
your  dealings  with  the  rifle  observe  this  rule:  when- 
ever care  costs  little  or  nothing,  use  it. 

It  used  to  be  a  maxim  of  the  old  hunters  that  "too 
much  powder  makes  a  ball  fly  wild."  There  is  some 
truth  in  this  if  the  ball  be  soft  and  the  twist  of  the 
rifle  swift,  and  plenty  of  truth  in  it  if  the  ball  be  both 
soft  and  long.  But  if  the  ball  be  short  or  round  and 
well  hardened  with  tin  and  the  twist  slow,  the  amount 
of  powder  that  may  be  used  without  affecting  accu- 
racy seems  to  be  unlimited. 

It  maybe  said  that  a  small  rifle  cannot  burn  a  large 
charge.  Literally  that  is  true.  However  small  an 
amount  of  powder  be  put  in  a  gun,  some  of  it  will 
probably  be  thrown  out  unburned  unless  in  a  very 
long  barrel.  But  the  greater  the  charge  the  greater 


370  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

the  amount  actually  burned,  although  the  proportion- 
ate amount  burned  will  of  course  be  less;  just  as  two 
thirds  of  six  drams  is  actually  more  than  three  fourths 
of  four  drams,  etc. 

More  powder  can  be  used  with  effect  behind  round 
or  short  balls  than  behind  very  long  ones.  The  effect 
of  an  increase  of  charge  is  noticeable  at  once  in  the 
straighter  trajectory  of  the  ball  at  short  range,  while 
the  increase  of  recoil  amounts  to  little.  The  increase 
of  the  charge  of  powder  behind  a  long  heavy  ball  is 
noticeable  at  once  at  the  shoulder,  but  is  hardly  no- 
ticeable upon  the  ball's  trajectory  until  it  passes  five 
hundred  or  six  hundred  yards,  when  extra  force  be- 
gins to  show  itself.  The  reason  is  that  the  increase 
of  velocity  has  been  too  slight  to  materially  straighten 
the  curve  of  first  two  hundred  yards  or  so.  But  this 
very  slight  velocity,  uniting  with  the  great  weight  of 
the  long  ball,  has  made  a  very  material  difference  in 
momentum,  upon  which  a  long  flight  depends.  It 
may,  however,  affect  the  trajectory  by  recoil,  as  we 
have  seen  under  that  head.  As  the  killing  effect  of 
light  balls  depends  materially  upon  velocity,  one  can 
hardly  use  too  much  powder  behind  them. 

For  shot-guns  both  coarse  and  fine-grained  powders 
have  their  champions.  There  is,  however,  now  no 
dispute  as  to  the  best  for  a  rifle.  Fine  powder  used 
to  be  thought  the  best,  and  in  a  short  barrel  with  a 
round  ball  doubtless  will  give  a  higher  velocity.  But 
coarse  powder  is  generally  quick  enough,  and  for  all 
long  bullets  is  far  the  best.  But  where  the  bullet  is 
not  very  long  and  you  wish  excessive  force,  as  in  an 
express  rifle,  it  is  well  to  put  half  a  charge  of  coarse 
powder  in  the  shell  first  with  half  a  charge  of  fine 
upon  the  top  of  it.  This  will  give  a  steady  start  and 


LOADING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  RIFLES.     371 

a  swift  send-off.  But  fine  powder  being  quicker  than 
coarse  is  more  liable  to  jam  or  "upset"  a  ball,  unless 
used  upon  this  compensating  principle. 

At  short  range,  especially  with  round  or  short  bul- 
let, a  trifling  difference  in  the  quantity  of  powder  or 
in  its  dryness  is  not  very  material.  But,  where  pos- 
sible, care  should  be  used  even  in  this  respect.  And 
the  longer  the  ball  and  the  farther  you  wish  to  shoot 
the  more  essential  becomes  this  care,  and  the  more 
essential  becomes  the  even  setting  of  the  powder  in 
the  shell  ;  and  take  care  not  to  break  the  grains  by 
hard  pounding,  etc.  More  powder  may  be  put  in  a 
shell,  and  it  will  be  more  evenly  packed,  by  pouring  it 
into  the  shell  through  a  tube  a  yard  or  so  in  length. 

The  mouth  of  the  shell  should  be  kept  clean  with 
diluted  vinegar  and  a  rag.  The  balls,  if  shot  naked, 
should  be  thoroughly  greased  with  tallow,  which  in 
hot  weather  may  be  mixed  with  a  little  beeswax,  but 
in  winter  should  be  used  pure.  Beeswax  dirties  a 
rifle  fast  and  should  be  used  only  when  necessary,  as 
in  hot  weather.  A  wad  or  two  of  heavy  leather  be- 
neath the  ball  will  do  no  harm,  and  will  be  apt  to 
improve  the  shooting  by  preventing  the  flashing  of 
fire  around  the  ball  as  it  passes  into  the  grooves. 

But  no  rifle  will  shoot  a  long  series  of  naked  balls 
as  well  as  one  of  patched  ones.  And  if  you  get  any 
rifle  besides  a  repeater  you  should  have  it  chambered 
and  the  shells  fixed  for  shooting  patched  balls.  I 
say  "  besides  a  repeater,"  because  they  are  now  all 
made  for  shooting  naked  balls.  But  I  see  no  reason 
why  such  a  fine  rifle  as  the  Winchester  express  should 
not  be  made  to  shoot  patched  balls,  and  see  no  reason 
why  it  could  not. 

Long  balls  are  patched  with  bank-note  paper,  gold- 


372  THE  STILL-HUNTER. 

beater's  skin,  bladder,  or  parchment.  Fair  patching 
for  deep-seated  balls  may  be  made  of  good  strong 
linen  smeared  until  stiff  with  hot  tallow.  This  makes 
good  patching  for  a  muzzle-loader.  Parchment  is  the 
best,  and  under  the  head  of  dressing  buckskin  I  will 
show  how  to  make  some  very  easily  that  will  be  far 
superior  in  toughness  to  any  you  can  buy.  The 
material  is  cut  into  strips  that  will  roll  once  and  a  half 
times  or  twice  or  two  and  a  half  times  around  the 
ball,  according  to  thickness  of  material.  It  is  wet 
with  a  little  gum-arabic  water,  then  rolled  around 
the  ball  so  as  to  cover  about  two  thirds  of  its  base,  and 
the  whole  should  then  be  dropped  into  a  hole  in  a 
block  to  dry  in  that  shape.  You  will,  however,  do 
well  to  buy  a  cartridge  already  patched  and  examine 
it  before  following  directions  from  any  one. 

To  load  round  balls  so  as  to  shoot  accurately  in  a 
breech-loader  is  no  trifling  matter  and  has  puzzled 
many  a  one.  To  be  shot  naked  they  must  be  made 
very  hard.  They  must  fit  very  tight.  Plently  of 
grease  must  be  put  around  them  and  a  heavy  leather 
wad  below  them.  Then  they  may  work  fairly  well. 

But  for  good  work  they  also  must  be  patched.  They 
cannot,  however,  be  patched  and  pushed  into  the 
shell  as  into  the  muzzle  of  a  muzzle-loader.  The 
shoulder  of  the  rifle  will  strip  off  the  patch  half  the 
time.  The  following  plan  I  find  the  most  certain,  and 
have  picked  up  scores  of  patches  in  front  of  the  rifle 
without  finding  any  sign  of  stripping,  tearing,  or  burn- 
ing. Putting  on  a  thick  leather  wad — wads  are  even 
more  essential  under  a  round  ball  than  under  the 
cylindrical,  as  the  fire  leaks  around  them  more — I  cut 
a  strip  of  strong  parchment  well  greased  and  about 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  wide  and  just  long  enough 


LOADING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  RIFLES.     373 

to  go  once  around  inside  the  shell.  Into  this  I  push 
the  ball,  and  turning  over  the  edges  of  the  patch  put 
half  a  split  wad  upon  the  top  to  keep  out  dirt,  etc.  If 
round  balls  loaded  in  this  way  are  not  as  accurate  (at 
short  range,  of  course)  as  the  long  ones,  the  fault  is  in 
the  shoulder  of  the  rifle-chamber.  It  is  either  too 
sharp  or  too  far  from  the  end  of  the  cartridge,  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind.  Buckskin  makes  even  better  patch- 
ing than  parchment,  but  is  harder  to  use  with  full 
shells.  The  best  patching  varies,  however,  with  rifles, 
and  must  be  ascertained  by  experiment.  This  is  true 
even  of  the  muzzle-loader,  and  even  more  so  of  the 
breech-loader. 

Patched  balls  like  naked  ones  should  fit  very  tight 
in  the  shell.  And  in  order  to  get  them  in  straight 
and  prevent  swelling  the  shell  so  as  to  cause  it  to 
stick,  it  is  better  where  the  balls  are  deep-seated  in 
the  shell,  as  round  ones  generally  are,  to  put  the  shell 
into  a  solid  tube  of  metal  such  as  is  used  as  a  "  loader" 
to  retain  the  shell  when  the  ball  is  driven  home.  The 
more  lightly  the  ball  sits  in  the  shell  the  nearer  it 
comes  to  being  in  the  grooves  when  receiving  the  first 
blow  of  the  powder,  and  therefore  the  better  it  will 
shoot,  all  else  being  equal.  In  such  case  you  may  not 
be  able  to  drive  the  ball  in  with  the  loader  without 
damaging  the  patch,  unless  you  use  much  care.  But 
with  the  loader  you  can  get  it  in  tighter  and  generally 
much  more  true  than  by  hand.  If  you  use  a  double 
rifle,  the  balls  must  fit  tight  enough  to  prevent  recoil 
throwing  them  in  the  next  barrel  out  of  the  shell  into 
the  chamber. 

The  shoulders  of  some  rifles,  especially  of  those 
made  several  years  ago,  may  need  some  beveling  off  or 
other  fixing  before  they  will  shoot  patched  balls  well, 


374  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

as  the  shoulder  may  strip  or  cut  the  patch.  Care 
must  also  be  taken  in  carrying  patched  balls;  for  if 
the  patch  runs  outside  of  the  shell,  as  it  should  do  for 
all  long  bullets  or  very  accurate  shooting,  it  will  get 
torn  or  frayed  in  carrying.  It  should  be  carried  in  a 
belt  that  will  protect  it  perfectly.  A  leather  belt  is 
the  surest  for  this  purpose.  But  every  few  days  the 
cartridges  should  be  taken  out  and  wiped  free  from 
the  verdigris  that  accumulates  on  shells  in  a  leather 
belt.  For  other  shells  canvas  makes  a  better  belt. 

The  cleaning  of  the  rifle  is  a  matter  of  much  more 
importance  than  is  generally  supposed.  Because  a 
rifle  may  often  shoot  quite  well  when  it  is  dirty  many 
suppose  that  it  either  needs  no  cleaning  or  else  cleans 
itself.  All  rifles  need  cleaning  after  every  shot;  that 
is,  to  do  their  best  work.  No  rifle  cleans  itself  except 
a  muzzle-loader,  and  wiping  will  improve  the  shoot- 
ing even  of  that.  When  shooting  in  damp  air, clean- 
ing is  of  less  importance  than  in  dry  air,  though  its 
neglect  may  at  any  moment  cause  even  the  best  breech- 
loader to  throw  a  "wild  "  ball.  But  when  shooting  in 
dry  air,  especially  on  a  hot  day,  the  dirt  burns  so  dry 
and  hard  that  the  bullet  cannot  push  it  out  or  slide 
over  it  without  being  affected  by  the  roughness.  A 
barrel  containing  such  dirt  is  liable  at  any  time  to  cut 
or  even  strip  a  patch,  and  is  quite  sure  to  wipe  off 
lead  from  a  naked  ball.  I  have  seen  a  Winchester  of 
1873  model  shoot  all  over  a  two-foot  candle-box  at 
thirty  yards  after  firing  six  or  seven  shots  from  it; 
and  then  after  two  or  three  good  wipes  shoot  into  a 
two-inch  ring  on  the  same  box.  The  more  powder 
you  shoot,  and  the  longer  the  barrel  of  the  rifle,  the 
greater  the  necessity  of  cleaning. 

Of  course  no  one  can   stop   to  clean  when  shooting 


LOADING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  RIFLES.    375 

at  game.  But  when  no  more  game  is  in  sight  there  is 
generally  no  reason  for  not  cleaning  except  la/.iness. 
The  power  of  that  I  must  myself  admit.  The  more 
unnecessary  work  invention  removes,  the  more  we  shirk 
what  necessary  work  remains. 

Cleaning  in  the  field  is  so  easy  a  matter  that  it  is 
astonishing  how  we  neglect  it.  A  pocket  wiper  can 
be  made  and  carried  by  every  one.  Every  rifle  should 
have  a  wiping-rod  in  the  stock  as  does  the  Winchester. 

Wet  dirt  can  nearly  always  be  taken  out  with  a  dry 
rag.  Dry  dirt  will  generally  yield  to  it  after  the  bar- 
rel has  been  breathed  into  a  few  minutes.  When  in 
haste  you  may  pour  water  or  any  other  convenient 
substitute. 

Perfect  cleaning  may  not  be  always  convenient  in 
the  field,  but  there  is  no  excuse  for  neglect  of  it,  or 
for  makeshifts  of  any  kind  when  at  home  or  in  camp. 
The  rifle  should  always  be  cleaned  and  oiled  at  night 
if  it  has  been  used  during  the  day.  Cleaning  has 
been  so  thoroughly  tested  at  the  target  that  it  is  quite 
useless  for  any  "  practical  man"  to  jump  up  and  tell 
us  how  much  game,  etc.,  he  kills  with  a  dirty  rifle, 
etc.  We  know  all  that.  Of  course  it  can  be  neglected 
as  well  as  a  dozen  other  points  may  be.  The  only 
question  is,  is  such  neglect  profitable  when  all  you 
gain  by  it  is  such  a  trifling  bit  of  personal  comfort  ? 

Some  say,  "  never  pour  water  in  a  fine  gun."  Water 
hurts  a  gun  just  as  it  does  a  razor — when  it  is  left  on 
the  metal.  But  a  razor  may  be  wet  every  day  for  a 
hundred  years  without  injury  from  rust.  So  may  a 
gun.  There  is  absolutely  nothing  that  takes  hold  of 
powder-dirt  like  water.  Half  the  substitutes  for  it, 
such  as  kerosene,  benzine,  alcohol,  etc.,  are  heartless 
hoaxes  and  make  thrice  the  labor  that  water  does.  If 


376  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

new  strong  cloth  be  used  for  wiping  there  will  be  no 
danger  from  water.  It  is  a  common  idea  that  any  old 
rag  will  do  to  clean  a  gun  with.  On  the  contrary,  to 
clean  a  gun  well  requires  good,  strong,  new,  and 
rough  cloth.  Nothing  lighter  than  heavy  unbleached 
muslin  can  be  relied  on  to  bring  all  the  dirt,  lead,  and' 
dampness  from  a  rifle. 

For  cleaning,  a  strong  rod  of  the  best  hickory 
should  be  used,  notched  and  jagged  instead  of  hav- 
ing a  miserable  eye  or  hook  at  the  end,  so  that  a 
heavy  wad  of  cloth  may  be  used  without  jamming. 
And  this  wad  of  cloth  should  occasionally  be  made  so 
tight  that  the  rod  has  to  be  driven  against  something 
solid  to  force  it  through.  Only  in  this  way  can  you 
be  sure  that  your  rifle  is  not  leaded.  The  cloth  thus 
ilriven  through  will  either  bring  out  the  lead  or  show 
that  it  has  passed  lead. 

For  greasing,  almost  any  animal  or  non-vegetable 
oil  is  good.  Rattlesnake-oil  has  more  body  than  al- 
most any  other  oil  and  is  often  easy  to  make.  An 
excellent  oil  is  made  by  cooking  the  marrow  of  a 
deer's  legs.  Vaseline  and  cosmoline  are  also  good. 
But  for  a  rust  preventive  scarcely  anything  excels 
mercurial  ointment.  Too  much  grease,  however, 
may  overshoot  the  mark.  Enough  is  enough,  and  a 
tight  and  well-greased  rag  or  bit  of  buckskin  forced 
through  the  barrel  once  or  twice  is  best. 

Should  your  rifle  happen  to  get  rusty  inside  it 
should  be  attended  to  at  once.  This  had  better  be 
intrusted  to  a  reliable  gunsmith.  But  if  none  is  at 
hand  you  had  better  do  it  yourself  than  leave  it  so. 
Very  fine  emery  is  safe  enough  for  any  one  to  use 
who  is  careful,  but  the  rag  should  be  well  oiled  and 
run  back  and  forth  through  the  barrel  several  times 


LOADING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  RIFLES.     377 

before  the  emery  is  applied  to  it.  Apply  it  as  evenly 
as  possible,  make  the  stroke  long  and  steady,  use 
plenty  of  oil,  and  keep  up  the  polishing  no  longer 
than  is  necessary.  Emery  may,  however,  be  as  hard 
to  get  as  a  gunsmith.  In  such  case  use  fine  wood- 
ashes  and  plenty  of  muscle,  and  in  either  case  have 
the  barrel  firmly  lashed  or  fastened  to  something 
solid. 

But  no  amount  of  care  with  a  rifle  will  obviate  the 
necessity  of  practice  with  it  in  order  to  do  good 
shooting.  And  this  practice  should  be  in  the  field, 
at  natural  marks,  at  varying  distances,  and  in  vary- 
ing play  of  light  and  shade.  It  should  be  up  hill  and 
down  hill,  across  valleys,  etc.  etc.  Beyond  the  ordi- 
nary and  obvious  reasons  for  this  I  will  mention  an- 
other which  affects  me  very  much  and  must  affect 
every  one  somewhat;  viz.,  ocular  aberration,  or  the 
impossibility  of  always  measuring  off  with  the  eye 
the  same  exact  amount  of  front  sight  necessary  for 
good  shooting  on  the  horizontal  line.  The  difference 
on  the  front  sight  of  the  thickness  of  two  sheets  of 
paper  may  cause  a  miss  at  one  hundred  yards.  Who 
without  much  practice  can  tell  the  edge  of  six  sheets 
of  paper  pressed  together  at  the  edge  and  held  four 
feet  from  his  eye  from  eight  sheets  held  the  same 
way?  It  would  be  hard  enough  even  if  both  were 
seen  side  by  side.  Get  a  good  carpenter  to  make  you 
a  foot-rule  from  memory,  or  ask  a  good  draughtsman 
to  mark  you  out  by  his  eye  a  dozen  or  so  separate 
one-eighth  parts  of  an  inch.  Then  get  him  to  meas- 
ure them  and  you  will  see  one  great  cause  of  bad 
shooting. 

All  through  the  subject  of  ri^es  I  have  for  brevity 
omitted  much  that  is  generally  known,  such  as  how 


378  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

to  load  a  muzzle-loader,  etc.,  and  much  that  can  be 
left  to  the  reader's  common-sense,  such  as  which  way 
to  move  a  rifle-sight  to  make  it  shoot  high  or  low,  or 
to  right  or  left,  etc. 


MOCCASINS,   BUCKSKIN,   ETC.  379 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

MOCCASINS,  BUCKSKIN,  ETC.       ADVICE.       CONCLUSION. 

THERE  is  a  large  amount  of  useful  lore  about  wood- 
craft, camping,  fitting  out,  etc.  etc.  etc.,  which  must 
necessarily  be  omitted  from  such  a  work  as  this,  espe- 
cially as  it  can  be  found  elsewhere.  I  therefore  con- 
fine myself  entirely  to  such  few  points  as  are  either 
not  considered  in  other  works  that  I  have  seen  or  else 
are  so  generally  treated  as  to  be  of  little  use. 

White  clothes  are  of  little  use  for  hunting  wild 
deer  except  upon  open  ground  with  snow,  and  even 
then  the  face  and  rifle  should  be  concealed  as  much 
as  possible.  In  timber  your  motion  across  tree-trunks 
is  caught  by  the  deer's  eye  so  quickly  that  you  can 
relax  no  caution  even  with  the  whitest  outfit  you  can 
get.  Gray  or  brown,  according  to  the  color  of  your 
general  background,  is  better  for  general  use. 

Clothes  should  not  be  stiff  or  harsh  so  as  to  make  a 
noise  against  brush,  and  the  coat  should  have  no 
skirts  or  tail.  Jackets  made  by  cutting  off  the  lower 
six  inches  of  woolen  shirts,  slitting  up  the  front  and 
adding  two  or  three  buttons,  are  very  good  things  to 
wear.  Two  or  three  may  be  put  on  for  cold  weather 
and  fastened  at  the  bottom  with  the  cartridge-belt. 
An  extra  one  may  be  tucked  into  the  belt  behind.  A 
linen  jacket  over  two  or  three  of  these  will  shed  rain 
about  as  long  as  anything  and  stop  considerable 
wind. 


380  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

For  durability  buckskin  is  as  important  as  it  is  to 
the  hero  of  a  sporting  romance.  It  is  also  very 
good  for  dry  cold  weather.  For  warm  or  wet  weather 
it  is  a  nuisance.  Still  it  is  soft  against  brush,  and  pants 
will  be  much  better  if  faced  in  front  with  it  to  half  way 
above  the  knee  and  two  thirds  the  way  around  on 
each  side.  For  this  purpose  it  should  always  be  well 
smoked  so  as  to  dry  soft  when  wet. 

The  simpler  and  lighter  your  dress  the  better.  An 
immense  butcher-knife,  hatchet,  pistol,  watch,  whisky- 
flask,  etc.  etc.  etc.,  may,  like  the  fifth  wheel  of  a  wagon, 
come  handy  once  in  a  year  or  two.  But  it  hardly  pays 
to  pack  a  fifth  wheel  around  with  one.  Everything 
unnecessary,  all  leggings,  fancy  clothes,  and  "  toggery" 
of  every  sort,  are  nuisances.  The  most  valuable  know- 
ledge in  the  world  is  to  know  what  we  can  dispense 
with.  And  nowhere  is  this  more  valuable  than  in 
getting  up  a  still-hunting  outfit. 

Every  kind  of  sole-leather  add  to  your  litany.  Go 
not  astray  on  "  deer-stalker's  shoes,"  "  English  walking- 
shoes,"  or  "hunting-boots"  of  any  kind.  If  you  can- 
not wear  moccasins,  get  a  pair  of  shoes  made  with 
soft  heels  and  soles;  the  latter  projecting  at  the  edge 
so  that  a  new  piece  of  soft  leather  may  be  added  in  a 
few  moments  with  an  awl  and  buckskin  thong  when 
the  first  is  worn  through.  India-rubber  overshoes  are 
very  good  worn  loose  without  boots,  but  are  uncom- 
fortable on  the  feet. 

Every  one  who  hunts  much  should  get  his  feet 
accustomed  to  moccasins.  When  the  foot  is  once 
toughened  to  them,  which,  with  care  in  beginning 
gradually,  will  occur  in  two  weeks  and  often  less, 
nothing  can  equal  them  for  quiet  and  rapid  traveling. 
On  some  kinds  of  ground  it  is  almost  impossible  to 


MOCCASINS,   BUCKSKIN,   ETC,  381 

approach  wild  deer  without  them.  One  can  walk 
farther  in  them  with  loss  fatigue,  with  less  slipping  on 
rocks,  hill-sides,  dry  grass,  etc.,  and  less  danger  of 
spraining  an  ankle,  tripping,  or  falling,  than  with  any- 
thing else  that  can  be  worn.  In  dry  cold  snow,  when 
worn  with  two  or  three  pairs  of  woolen  socks  or  a 
doubled  piece  of  heavy  woolen  blanket  wrapped  out- 
side of  one  pair,  they  are  absolutely  unapproachable 
for  ease  and  comfort.  And  even  in  wet  snow  or  wet 
grass,  mud,  etc.,  they  are  as  good  as  anything  that 
can  be  worn  without  making  too  much  noise,  except 
india-rubber  shoes.  They  will  hold  you  on  any  slope 
where  anything  but  spiked  shoes  can  hold  you,  and 
are  far  better  than  those  for  running  along  rocks, 
logs,  etc.  The  uppers,  if  of  good  material,  will  last 
as  long  as  those  of  a  good  pair  of  boots.  New  soles 
can  be  speedily  cut  out  of  old  boot-legs,  and  put  on 
with  an  awl  and  buckskin  thong. 

The  best  of  all  moccasins  are  those  of  buckskin. 
As  buying  cannot  always  be  depended  upon — except 
buying  poor  ones — one  who  expects  to  hunt  much 
should  learn  to  make  his  own  moccasins.  This  is  a 
very  trifling  matter  for  anyone  of  any  ingenuity;  and 
with  a  little  practice  such  a  one  can  soon  make  them 
as  shapely  as  any  he  can  buy. 

The  easiest  pattern  to  make  is  that  of  the  Sioux 
Indians.  A  piece  of  buckskin  the  exact  length  of  the 
foot  and  about  seven  and  a  half  inches  wide  (fora  No.  7 
foot)  is  first  cut  out.  This  should  be  cut  from  the 
rump  or  along  the  back  of  the  hide.  To  insure  even 
cutting  it  should  be  laid  on  a  board,  the  piece  marked 
out  with  a  square  and  lead-pencil,  perfectly  square- 
cornered,  and  then  cut  with  a  sharp  knife  so  that 
there  is  no  pulling  it  out  of  shape.  It  is  then  folded 


382  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

once  lengthwise,  and  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of 
the  lower  corner  of  one  end  rounded  off,  so  as  to  keep 
the  toe  from  being  too  sharp-pointed.  The  two  ends 
are  then  sewed  up.  But  when  you  get  within  four 
fifths  of  an  inch  of  the  end  of  the  heel  press  it  down 
upon  a  board  and  cut  off  the  lower  part,  so  that  when 
sewed  up  it  wrill  look  like  a  narrow  J  inverted,  thus: 
J_,  You  may,  however,  sew  it  straight  down,  as  it  is 
mainly  a  matter  of  "looks."  The  thing  now  looks  a 
little  like  a  birch  canoe  with  a  pretty  straight  bow. 
This  bow  is  then  gathered  to  a  tongue  rounded  to  an 
oval  end  in  front  and  fastened  across  the  center  of 
the  canoe.  The  whole  thing  must  be  sewed  inside 
out,  and  every  seam  should  be  sewed  with  a  strip  of 
heavy  buckskin  in  it  to  protect  the  stitches.  A  buck- 
skin needle — a  cutting  needle — should  be  used  with 
heavy  waxed  linen  thread,  and  the  seams  run  over 
twice  for  durability.  But  an  awl  and  shoemaker's 
"  waxed  end,"  or  a  buckskin  thong  with  the  end 
waxed  and  twisted,  is  better  yet.  A  person  of  any  in- 
genuity cannot  fail  to  make  at  the  first  trial  a  pair 
that  will  answer  all  demands  but  those  of  beauty. 
Tops  three  or  four  inches  high  should  then  be  added, 
and  both  buttoned  to  a  button  in  the  center  of  the 
tongue,  and  one  buttoned  to  the  other  on  one  side  of 
the  ankle  at  the  top.  For  snow  these  tops  should  be 
of  cloth,  as  they  wet  too  quickly  if  of  buckskin.  If  the 
pantaloons  be  tied  tightly  around  these  at  the  ankle 
one  may  walk  all  day  in  dry  cold  snow  and  have  his 
feet  perfectly  dry  and  warm.  For  keeping  out  dead 
grass  and  other  tickling  things  a  shield  of  leather  may 
be  placed  inside  under  the  tongue  and  reaching  half 
way  down  the  sides  and  half  way  to  the  tongue.  This 
with  heavy  buckskin  facing  on  your  pantaloons  hang- 


MOCCASINS,    BUCKSKIN,   ETC.  383 

ing  loose  and  low  will  also  be  about  as  good  a  guard 
against  snake-bites  as  you  can  conveniently  have.  An 
inner  sole  of  sheep-skin  with  the  wool  half  sheared 
off  may  be  necessary  at  first  if  the  feet  are  tender. 

The  most  important  part  of  every  recipe  for  making 
buckskin  is  never  given,  and  the  rest  is  so  generally 
stated  as  to  be  of  little  use.  The  important  part  is 
that  the  undertaking  should  always  be  sublet  when- 
ever possible.  It  is  tedious,  tiresome,  and  disagree- 
able, the  best  way  it  can  be  done.  Still  there  may 
be  times  in  every  hunter's  life  when  he  may  have  to 
make  it  himself.  And  every  one  should  know  how 
to  do  it.  The  operation  requires  no  skill  and  may, 
moreover,  be  done  by  any  common  hand  under  your 
supervision. 

There  is  no  tanning  process  about  it.  Leather  is 
a  chemical  compound.  Buckskin  is  simply  the  raw 
fiber  broken  up,  loosened,  and  retained  from  stiffening 
again  when  wet. 

The  hair,  the  fine  little  outer  skin  in  which  it  is  em- 
bedded, called  "  the  grain,"  and  the  fleshy  and  mem- 
branous parts  adhering  to  the  inside  must  first  be  re- 
moved. To  do  this  is  no  trifling  matter  unless  one 
knows  just  how,  and  then  it  is  simple  enough  though 
it  takes  work.  The  hide  is  first  soaked  in  water  from 
two  to  five  01  six  days,  according  to  temperature  of 
water.  In  warm  water  a  dry  hide  will  soften  in  two 
days,  and  soon  after  that  will  begin  to  spoil.  In  cold 
water  it  may,  and  often  must,  be  left  longer.  A  hide 
will  be  soft  enough  when  first  stripped  from  the  deer, 
but  will  be  better  if  left  a  day  or  two  in  water.  If 
stripped  off  from  the  neck  downward  a  hide  will  be 
more  easy  to  clean  on  the  inside. 

A  graining-log  and   knife  are  now  necessary.       A 


384  THE    STILL-HUNTER. 

log  of  hard  wood  eight  or  nine  feet  long  and  six  or 
eight  inches  thick,  having  about  two  or  three  feet  of 
smooth  hard  surface  on  one  side  of  one  end,  is  fast- 
ened in  the  ground  (under  a  root  or  something) 
so  that  the  smooth  end  is  about  waist-high.  Two 
auger-holes  may  be  bored  in  it  near  this  end  and 
legs  inserted.  The  hide  thrown  over  that  and  held 
fast  by  pressing  it  with  the  waist  against  the  end  of 
the  log,  is  in  condition  to  clean. 

The  knife  must  have  a  scraping  edge  and  not  a  cut- 
ting edge.  A  rib  of  a  horse  or  cow,  back  of  a  draw- 
knife,  etc.,  may  be  used.  But  the  best  is  the  back  of 
the  blade  of  a  common  table-knife.  Drive  the  blade 
lengthwise  and  half  its  depth  into  a  piece  of  stick 
about  eighteen  inches  long  so  as  to  leave  two  good 
handles  on  the  stick.  With  a  few  minutes'  trial  you 
will  get  the  proper  stroke  with  this. 

A  hide  will  generally  "  grain"  better  the  way  the 
hair  runs.  But  the  "grain"  will  stick  in  spots,  and 
sometimes  you  must  run  over  it  in  different  direc- 
tions. Each  side  should  be  run  over  twice,  so  as  to 
insure  good  cleaning.  Clean  them  alternately. 

When  cleaned,  a  hide  may  be  softened  at  once.  But 
if  in  no  haste,  let  it  dry  and  resoak  it  for  a  day.  Then 
pull,  haul,  and  stretch  it  in  every  part  until  it  all  be- 
comes white.  Continue  this  until  it  is  dry,  rubbing 
out  between  the  knuckles  all  places  that  show  signs 
of  stiffening.  Should  it  be  too  hard  to  work  soft  the 
first  time,  resoak  it  and  rub  dry  again.  Sometimes 
this  must  be  repeated  two  or  three  times.  Stiff  spots 
can,  however,  be  moistened  separately  afterward  by 
laying  a  damp  cloth  on  them  and  rubbing  them  dry 
separately.  The  stretching  of  the  fiber  on  a  large 
hide  is  often  no  trifling  matter.  Pressing  and  saw- 


MOCCASINS,    BUCKSKIN,    ETC.  385 

ing  over  the  edge  of  a  sharpened  board  a  little  over 
waist-high,  turning  the  hide  around  each  time,  is 
about  as  effective  a  way  as  any.  Two  men  standing 
in  the  sun  and  turning  it  around  constantly  can  soon 
pull  a  common-sized  hide  soft.  Stretching  firmly  in  a 
strong  frame  and  dancing  on  it  until  dry  will  stretch 
and  loosen  the  toughest  hide. 

A  hide  may  be  rubbed  soft  much  quicker  if  brains 
be  rubbed  into  it.  When  the  fiber  is  loosened  up  so 
that  the  hide  looks  white,  rub  the  brains  of  a  deer  or 
other  animal  into  it.  Or  the  brains  may  be  dissolved 
in  water  and  the  hide  soaked  in  it.  Mashing  in  with 
the  hand  is,  however,  the  quicker  way.  If  one  ap- 
plication is  not  enough,  rub  in  more.  Grease  answers 
this  purpose  somewhat.  But  it  is  much  inferior  to 
brains  and  requires  warm  water  and  soap,  with  con- 
siderable work  also  to  wash  it  out.  Some  may  be 
left  in,  but  the  most  of  it  must  come  out  unless  you 
wish  an  "oil-tanned"  hide,  which  you  do  not,  how- 
ever, for  any  purpose  but  strings. 

The  oftener  a  hide  is  wet  and  rubbed  soft  the  better 
it  is  for  clothes  etc.  But  where  toughness  is  the  main 
point,  as  for  strings,  etc.,  it  should  be  softened  no 
more  than  is  necessary.  Some  hides  are  very  ob- 
stinate, and  cannot  be  worked  soft  the  first  time  ex- 
cept by  a  person  very  strong  in  the  hands, — and  in 
patience. 

Without  smoking,  buckskin  cannot  be  depended 
upon  to  dry  soft  when  wet.  Nothing  will  take  its 
place.  Smoked  to  lemon-color  or  light  buff  will  gener- 
ally do.  To  get  an  even  color  a  smoke-house  and  slow 
smoking  is  best.  It  may,  however,  be  done  in  one  day 
by  setting  a  tight  barrel  or  big  box  over  a  deep  hole 
in  the  ground  and  forcing  the  smoke.  Or  it  may  be 


386  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

wrapped  around   poles  over  a  hole  so  as   to  make  a 
wigwam  of  it. 

I  have  tried  sulphuric  acid,  lye,  and  the  whole  list 
of  agents  contained  in  all  the  recipes,  and  find  them 
all  useless  nuisances.  Some,  such  as  the  acid  and  lye, 
will  soon  ruin  a  hide  if  used  too  strong  or  too  long. 
There  is  absolutely  no  chemical  agent  that  will 
enable  you  to  dispense  with  stretching  and  rubbing 
the  hide  hard  and  rapidly  while  it  is  drying.  By 
chemical  agents  you  may  make  leather.  But  buck- 
skin can  be  made  only  by  mechanical  means.  Apply 
the  work  and  the  other  things  are  needless.  With- 
out the  work  they  are  unavailing.  Excellent  parch- 
ment for  patching  may  be  made  from  a  fawn-skin  by 
soaking  it  well  with  grease  in  the  heat  of  the  sun  or 
fire,  washing  out  about  a  third  of  it  in  blood-warm 
water,  pulling  the  skin  till  white,  then  stretching  it  on 
a  board  tight  and  allowing  it  to  dry  hard.  Dress  it 
down  with  sand-paper  and  a  knife-edge. 

It  is  but  a  few  years  since  I  would  as  soon  have  been 
seen  hunting  with  kid  gloves,  a  "  biled  shirt,"  and 
"  plug"  hat  as  with  anything  to  eat  about  me.  Most 
hunters,  I  think,  have  the  same  stupid  pride  about  being 
"  tough."  But  no  man,  no  matter  who  he  may  be,  can, 
in  hunting  with  the  rifle,  afford  to  despise  the  advan- 
tage of  being  well  fed.  He  may  not  feel  weak  or 
faint,  he  may  flatter  himself  that  he  is  not  hungry.  But 
want  of  food  will  be  apt  to  affect  his  shooting  never- 
theless; especially  if  he  has  a  hill  to  climb,  a  run  to 
make,  or  a  very  fine  shot  to  make.  Venison,  cut  in 
strips  half  an  inch  thick,  soaked  a  day  in  strong 
Drine,  and  dried  in  the  camp-fire  smoke  or  in  the 
chimney-corner  at  home,  makes  a  very  portable  and 


MOCCASINS,    BUCKSKIN,    ETC.  387 

substantial  lunch,  conduces  more  to  that  desirable 
solidity  of  muscle  and  nerve  essential  to  good  shoot- 
ing than  anything  else  you  can  carry  except  beef,  and, 
to  say  the  least,  is  quite  as  palatable  as  doughnuts  and 
similar  "baby-feed,"  and  takes  up  far  less  room. 

You  may  find  your  first  half-dozen  deer  all  standing 
broadside  in  plain  open  sight  and  close  by;  may  hit 
every  one  at  the  first  shot  with  a  dirty  rifle  carelessly 
loaded,  and  shoot  every  one  dead  in  its  tracks.  I 
have  myself  seen  deer  so  plenty  and  tame  that  a 
novice  could  do  this.  But  beware  how  you  conclude 
from  such  success  that  I  have  been  unnecessarily 
particular  in  the  advice  I  have  given,  or  that  deer- 
hunting  is  a  thing  to  which  you  were  specially  born. 
Many  of  the  most  important  principles  of  stalking 
deer  and  antelope  are  obtainable  only  by  a  consider- 
able amount  of  careful  observation.  You  might  hunt 
a  week  by  the  side  of  a  careless  and  bad  hunter  and 
a  week  by  the  side  of  a  careful  and  good  one,  and  yet 
notice  no  difference  in  their  work  if  judged  by  its  suc- 
cess. The  trouble  is  that  neither  one  week  nor  two 
weeks  will  suffice  to  test  any  important  point  in  hunt- 
ing of  this  kind.  Follow  sound  principle  whether  you 
see  its  immediate  results  or  not.  Especially  should  it 
be  followed  where  it  costs  nothing,  such  as  raising 
your  head  slowly  over  ridges  and  taking  your  gun 
from  your  shoulder,  etc. 

In  no  other  branch  of  field-sports  is  there  such  an 
array  of  exceptions  to  nearly  every  rule.  Sometimes 
these  are  so  numerous  as  to  require  long  observation 
to  determine  which  is  the  rule  and  which  the  excep- 
tion. Often  the  exceptions  are  as  important  as  the 
rule  itself.  In  such  case  I  have  given  them.  But 


388  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

there  are  many  others  which  have  been  necessarily 
omitted  for  want  of  space.  On  the  whole,  you  cannot 
be  too  careful  how  you  draw  conclusions  from  a  few 
instances. 

Sound  principle  often  requires  the  entire  disregard 
of  a  rule.  Five  times  out  of  six  it  is  useless  to  follow 
up  a  deer  once  started.  Yet  if  deer  are  extremely 
scarce  or  you  wish  to  go  on  the  course  the  deer  has 
gone,  you  had  better  follow  him  by  all  means.  So 
when  a  single  deer  plunges  into  a  very  brushy  hill- 
side the  chances  are  very  strong  that  you  will  see  him 
no  more.  But  it  will  cost  you  nothing  to  stand  two 
or  three  minutes  and  watch  for  his  appearance  at 
some  open  place.  And  once  in  five  or  six  times  you 
may  see  him  again  and  get  a  good  shot. 

Other  things  must  be  decided  solely  upon  common- 
sense.  A  man  with  hobnailed  boots,  bright-colored 
clothes,  and  big  flop-hat  gets  as  much  game  as  one 
who  wears  moccasins,  clothes  of  neutral  color,  and  a 
small  cap.  Judging  solely  by  visible  results  the  one 
outfit  is  as  good  as  the  other.  Yet  your  common- 
sense  alone  is  enough  to  tell  you  that  the  latter  outfit 
must  be  the  best,  and  that  the  want  of  difference  in 
results  must  be  due  to  other  causes. 

In  scarcely  any  branch  of  life  is  one  more  apt  to 
draw  wrong  conclusions  from  hasty  observation  than 
in  hunting  deer  and  antelope  and  shooting  with  the 
rifle.  Passing  over  the  whole  host  of  absurd  and 
contradictory  theories  held  by  good  hunters  and  good 
shots,  who  either  do  not  follow  them  in  practice,  or, 
if  they  do,  succeed  in  spite  of  them  by  virtue  of  their 
other  qualifications,  I  will  mention  a  remarkable  case 
of  two  gross  errors  resulting  in  success. 

A  friend  of  mine  had  a  rifle  which  he  fullv  believed 


MOCCASINS,   BUCKSKIN,   ETC.  389 

had  a  natural  point  blank  of  two  hundred  yards, 
lie  supposed  the  ball  would  drop  about  two  feet  in 
the  next  hundred  yards,  or  have  a  total  drop  of  two 
feet  for  three  hundred  yards.  These  ideas  he  had  got- 
ten as  most  hunters  get  their  notions — from  his  im- 
agination and  careless  observation;  never  having  tried 
his  rifle.  lie  saw  a  deer  at  three  hundred  yards  as  he 
supposed,  sighted  about  two  feet  above  its  back,  and 
down  came  the  deer  shot  through  the  heart.  He 
had  never  shot  many  deer,  and  of  course  was  highly 
delighted  with  such  a  shot.  He  looked  the  ground 
over  and  felt  satisfied  he  had  not  done  himself  justice. 
So  he  took  the  trouble  to  do  what  few  ever  do  on  long 
shots:  he  paced  the  distance.  Rash  man  !  such  a 
thing  is  even  worse  than  weighing  a  trout.  By  the 
shortest  strides  that  would  satisfy  his  conscience  it 
was  only  a  hundred  ana  eignty  yards.  The  ball  had 
fallen  about  three  feet,  about  its  natural  drop  for  that 
distance.  Had  he  been  right  in  his  estimate  of  dis- 
tance it  would  have  fallen  about  sixteen  feet. 

It  is  rare  that  you  can  thus  utilize  errors,  making 
them  counteract  each  other.  But  you  can  make  a 
far  better  use  of  them.  That  is,  study  them.  Study 
them — 

i st.  To  see  whether  they  really  be  errors  or  not. 

2d.   To  learn  how  to  avoid  them. 

In  no  way  will  you  learn  as  much  as  by  doing  this. 
If  there  be  anything  that  makes  this  book  of  any 
value,  if  there  be  any  soundness  of  principle  in  it,  any 
thoroughness  and  carefulness  of  analysis,  any  clear  ex- 
position of  mistakes  that  will  be  likely  to  entrap  the 
beginner,  anything  new  or  unwritten  about  before,  it 
is  due  solely  to  two  facts: 


390  THE   STILL-HUNTER. 

ist.  That  I  have  stumbled  over  nearly  every  error 
that  it  is  possible  for  one  to  encounter. 

zd.  That  I  have  studied  those  errors  in  a  way  that 
not  one  in  a  thousand  has  either  the  humility  of  soul 
or  the  patience  to  do. 


THE    END. 


AMERICAN    SPORTSMAN'S    LIBRARY 

Edited  by  CASPAR  WHITNEY 

Crown  8vo.        Cloth.        Each  $2.00  net 


The  Deer  Family 


By  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT,  T.  S.  VAN  DYKE,  D.  G.  ELLIOT,  and  A.  J. 
STONE.  Illustrated  by  CARL  RUNGIUS  ;  with  map  by  Dr.  C.  HART 
MERRIAM. 

"  The  illustrations  by  Carl  Rungius  are  excellent  and  appropriate,  and 
the  entire  contents  of  the  book  bear  evidence  of  having  been  written  by  men 
who  have  a  loving  and  educated  interest  in  their  subjects." 

—  New  York  Evening  Post. 


Upland  Game  Birds 


By  EDWYN  SANDYS  and  T.  S.  VAN  DYKE.     Illustrated  by  L.  A.  FUERTES, 
A.  B.  FROST,  J.  O.  NUGENT,  and  C.  L.  BULL. 

"  It  is  a  creditable  work,  written  with  care  and  intelligence,  and  will  be 
found  very  entertaining  by  those  who  pursue  feathered  game.  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  instruction  to  be  found  in  the  work,  which  is  likely  to  add  con- 
siderably to  the  success  of  the  sportsman  when  hunting  the  birds  described." 

—  Shooting  and  Fishing. 


Salmon  and  Trout 

By  DEAN   SAGE,  \V.   C.    HARRIS,    and  C.   H.  TOWNSEND.    Illustrated  by 
A.  B.  FROST  and  others. 

''A  distinctly  valuable  and  authoritative  contribution.  .  .  .  Will  be 
found  to  contain  interesting  material  and  reliable  information  for  the  enthu^i- 
astic  fisherman,  who  would  know  how,  when,  and  where  to  fish  for  these 
gamy  denizens  of  our  lakes  and  streams." 

—  The  Fishing  Gazette. 


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AMERICAN    SPORTSMAN'S   LIBRARY 


The  Water=fowl  Family 

By  LEONARD  C.  SANFORD,  L.  B.  BISHOP,  and  T.  S.  VAN  DYKE.  Illustrated 
by  L.  A.  FCERTES,  A.  B.  FROST,  and  C.  L.  BULL.  Now  ready.  Price 
$2.00,  net. 

Bass,  Pike,  Perch,  and  Pickerel 

By  JAMES  A.  HENSHALL,  M.D.  Illustrated  by  MARTIN  JUSTICE  and  others. 
Now  ready.  Price  $2.00,  net. 

Big  Game  Fishes  of  the  United  States 

By  CHARLES  F.  HOLDER.  Illustrated  by  CHARLES  F.  W.  MIELATZ  and  others. 
Now  ready.  Price  $2.00,  net. 

Guns,  Ammunition,  and  Tackle 

By  A.  W.  MONEY,  W.  E.  CARLIN,  A.  L.  A.  HIMMELWRIGHT,  and  J.  HAR- 
RINGTON KEENE.  Illustrated.  Now  ready.  Price  $2.00,  net. 

The  Sporting  Dog 

By  JOSEPH  A.  GRAHAM.     With  many  illustrations. 

IN   PREPARATION   FOR   EARLY   ISSUE 

The  Bison,  Musk=ox,  Sheep,  and  Goat 
Family 

By  GEORGE  BIRD  GRINNELL,  OWEN  WISTER,  and  CASPAR  WHITNEY.  Illus- 
trated by  CARL  RUNGIUS  and  others. 

Photography  for  the  Sportsman  Naturalist 

By  W.  E.  CARLIN.     Illustrated. 


Further  volumes  will  include  articles  on  The  Bear  Family;  The  Cougar, 
Wild  Cat,  Wolf,  and  Fox;  American  Race  Horse  and  Running  Horse;  Trot- 
ling  and  Pacing  ;  Riding  and  Driving  ;  Yachting,  Small  Boat  Sailing,  and 
Canoeing;  Baseball  and  P'ootball;  Rowing,  Track  Athletics,  and  Swimming; 
Lacrosse,  Lawn  Tennis,  Wrestling,  Racquets,  Squash,  and  Court  Tennis  ; 
Skating,  Hockey,  Ice  Yachting,  Coasting,  and  Skate  Sailing. 


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